Premier League champions Liverpool completed the signing of Greek full-back Kostas Tsimikas on Monday for a reported €13 million (Dh56.2m).
Unless a keen follower of Greek football, Tsimikas will be somewhat of an unknown to many football fans. Having joined the English, European, and world champions, here is a lowdown on the Greece international.
Name: Konstantinos Tsimikas
Age: 24 (12/05/1996)
Nationality: Greek
Position: Left-back
Clubs played for: Olympiakos, Esbjerg (loan), Willem II (loan)
International appearances: 3 (debut v Hungary, October 12, 2018)
Career bio: Tsimikas signed for Liverpool after five years on the books at Olympiakos, where he made his debut in December 2015. One year later, Tsimikas joined Danish club Esbjerg on loan for the second half of the 2016/17 season. He then spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Dutch side Willem II.
After impressing in the Netherlands, Tsimikas returned to cement his place in the Olympiakos team. He made 28 appearances in all competitions (15 in the league) during the 2018/19 season.
Last season, Tsimikas saw his game time increase significantly, playing 46 games, including 27 in Olympiakos' triumphant Greek Super League campaign. He also made 12 Champions League appearances – six in qualifying, six in the group stage – and a further five in the Europa League where he helped his team reach the last-16.
Tsimikas ended his spell at Olympiakos having played 86 games and with two Greek Super League titles (2016, 2020).
Playing style: Liverpool's profile on Tsimikas describes his playing style as "quick, direct, a strong dribbler and with quality off his left foot from wide areas".
Role at Liverpool: Tsimikas is expected to act as cover for Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, who played nearly 100 games for the club over the past two seasons. While Robertson will remain the Reds' undisputed left-back, the Scot has played a lot of football in recent years, so manager Jurgen Klopp will be able to turn to Tsimikas when he needs to give Robertson a rest.
Reaction: Tsimikas: "I'm very happy, I'm very proud to be here. It's an honour to be here and I will give my best. For me, [it's] the biggest club in the world."
Klopp: "We have watched Kostas for a long time and are really happy that he has joined us. It's the perfect news before we come back together very soon. He is a very good footballer with an attitude to win and to compete, and I really like his mentality. It fits perfectly with the mood and the desire we have in our dressing room already. Kostas knows from personal experience what is required to challenge and succeed domestically and in the Champions League, and he is ambitious for more - just like us."
