Greek star could prove to be the ‘Signing of the window’

There is less than 24 hours to go till the January transfer window slams shut and the frantic nature of the day means that major deals being concluded at the last minute cannot be ruled. There have already been a couple of headline grabbing transfers this month with Juan Mata moving to Manchester United and Chelsea completing the triple of signings of Nemanja Matic, Mohamed Salah and Kurt Zouma, catching the eye.

However, perhaps the potential arrival of Greek star Konstantinos Mitroglou to Fulham could be termed as the ‘Signing of the window’. Although it may sound strange with Manchester United having secured the signing of Mata, arguably the best midfielder of the Premier League in the last two seasons but if Fulham are able to sign Migtroglou, it could even trump Mata’s signing for a couple of reasons.

Mitroglou has arguably been one of the top strikers in Europe this season with a fantastic record of 17 goals in just 19 appearances and his goals have gone a long way in helping Olympiacos to the top of the Greek Super League as well as securing their safe passage to the knock-out rounds of the Champions League where Manchester United lie in wait.

The striker who, while entering the final six months of his contract at the club, was being heavily linked with a move to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea a few months ago due to his fine performances but decided to commit his future to the club by signing a new three-year deal.

Therefore, given their current predicament, for Fulham to be able to acquire the services of a one of Europe’s finest marksman who only renewed his contract after rejecting the advances of some of the biggest sides, represents a massive coup. The reported price of £12.5million is a big investment for Fulham but the striker could well repay the Cottagers within the end of the season by helping the club maintain their Premier League status.

Admittedly, the arrival of Mitroglou does not mean all of Fulham’s problems are solved and Rene Meulensteen’s side will certainly have to do a lot of work if they are to remain a Premier League side next season but the arrival of the Greek striker will certainly give the club a big boost over their relegation rivals.

Dubbed the ‘Greek Goal Machine’, Mitroglou has always been heralded as a fine talent since his early years. The striker started his footballing journey in Germany after moving to the country with his parents as a young boy. Mitroglou impressed at youth level with MSV Duisburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach before his fine performance in the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship caught the eye of Greek side Olympiacos and he earned a move back to his homeland in 2007.

However, his journey to the Olympiacos first-team was not the easiest. Thrust in the limelight when he was perhaps not ready, Mitroglou initially struggled at the Greek giants and was not able to fulfill his potential with fans expecting a lot from him. The striker enjoyed a decent record but he was nowhere near the heady heights expected from him.

Mitroglou was then shipped off to Panionios in 2010 in order for his development but many wondered that his time at the club was over. However, perhaps due to the fact that he felt a huge weight on his shoulders had been lifted after he joined Panionios, the striker began to flourish and managed an impressive 8 goals in just 11 appearance for the club.

Olympiacos then sent the striker on another loan spell, this time to Atromitos and he once again managed to impress, scoring 16 goals in just 28 appearances and helping the minnow earn an improbable 3^rd place finish.

Following his spell at Atromitos, Mitroglou was welcomed back to Olympiacos last season, as a more mature player than he was two years ago and his experiences at Panionios and Atromitos certainly started paying dividends as the striker helped the Greek giants to the title, earning him a cult-hero status with the fans along the way.

Mitroglou has gone from strength to strength from this season and the results are there for everyone to see. Now, the Fulham faithful will be hoping that the striker who looks like a character from Greek Mythology can prove to be their saviour.