Ayoub El Kaabi’s season-ending injury forces a dramatic reshuffle of the attack, granting Roman Yaremchuk a sudden shot at redemption alongside rising talent Armando 'La Hormiga' Gonzalez in Olympiacos coach Mendilibar’s new-look attack.
According to an update by Nikos Kotsis, Olympiacos has moved to immediately integrate Roman Yaremchuk into the squad for the season after first-choice striker Ayoub El Kaabi's injury.
Yaremchuk's relationship with head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar has had its ups and downs, but the club has resolved any previous conflict with the player to give him a shot at redemption. The Ukrainian international was called up at the Rentis Training Center this morning to discuss a more regular role at Olympiacos, and he admitted to his mistakes, which earlier made him fall out of Mendilibar's favour.
The 30-year-old has been added to the squad list for the Greek Cup fixture against Volos, and he will also replace El Kaabi in the UEFA A list for the Red and Whites' Europa League matches.
The Moroccan striker suffered a horrific injury on the pitch in the game against Volos over the weekend. The match ended in a 1-1 draw for Olympiacos, who were more shaken up by the unfortunate nature of El Kaabi's injury and also the knocks sustained by Joel Roca and Lorenzo Pirola. As reported on Olympiacos Roundtable, El Kaabi will be out for at least 7 months to a year, as he began his recovery programme following successful surgery for his fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg. The club has shown their utmost support to the forward and has decided to unlock Yaremchuk's potential to deputise for him.
It has been quite a summer for Yaremchuk, who was waiting for an offer from Olympique Lyonnais, where he spent the second half of last season on loan. He was Mendilibar's sole striker during the pre-season, but he was left out of the club's future plans and was subsequently excluded from the European list. He also missed the Champions League qualifiers.
Yaremchuk's inclusion makes the race for the first-choice striker spot open again as Armando Gonzalez was brought in this summer as the option behind El Kaabi. While La Hormiga is not guaranteed a starting position as of now, this competition with Yaremchuk will be healthy for him to grow more at Olympiacos. The Greek Cup line-up against Volos will be something to watch out for as much regarding Mendilibar's intention for the season will be revealed in terms of the sole striker role.
Meanwhile, Roca has suffered a dislocated shoulder and he should be out for a month. Pirola's injury is not serious, and should not miss more than just a few games.
