Panagiotis Tachtsidis

Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Greek: Παναγιώτης Ταχτσίδης; born 15 February 1991) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Lecce and the Greece national team.

Panagiotis Tachtsidis

Tachtsidis in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Panagiotis Tachtsidis
Date of birth	(1991-02-15) 15 February 1991
Place of birth	Nafplio, Greece
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Lecce
Number	77
Youth career
2005–2007	AEK Athens
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2010	AEK Athens	20	(2)
2010–2012	Genoa	0	(0)
2010–2011	→ Cesena (loan)	0	(0)
2011	→ Grosseto (loan)	8	(0)
2011–2012	→ Verona (loan)	39	(3)
2012–2013	Roma	21	(1)
2013–2014	Catania	12	(0)
2014	→ Torino (loan)	11	(1)
2014–2016	Genoa	24	(2)
2014–2015	→ Verona (loan)	34	(3)
2016–2017	Torino	0	(0)
2016–2017	→ Cagliari (loan)	26	(0)
2017–2018	Olympiacos	17	(0)
2018–2019	Nottingham Forest	0	(0)
2019	→ Lecce (loan)	17	(0)
2019–	Lecce	27	(0)
National team^‡
2005	Greece U17	3	(1)
2005–2010	Greece U19	6	(2)
2010–2012	Greece U21	10	(0)
2012–	Greece	25	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 03:39, 31 July 2020 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 May 2018

Club career

AEK Athens

Tachtsidis was scouted by Toni Savevski, the head of AEK Athens's youth academy at the time, and signed his first professional contract with AEK on 1 November 2007.[1] Shortly after signing his first professional contract, Tachtsidis made his debut for AEK in the Greek Cup against Fostiras. On 27 January 2009, he became the youngest player to have ever played for AEK in the Greek League when he played against Thrasyvoulos, being 16 years and 348 days old; that record, however, has since been surpassed by Taxiarchis Fountas, also for AEK. Against Thrasyvoulos, Tachtsidis scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute to give his team the three points.[2]

Genoa

On 21 April 2010, Tachtsidis completed a move to Italian club Genoa that had already been previously agreed upon in January 2010.[3]

Loans to Cesena, Grosseto and Verona

In August 2010, he was loaned to Cesena with an option to buy half of his registration rights in co-ownership.[4][5] In February 2011, he was loaned to Grosseto.

In the 2011–12 season, he was loaned to Verona.[6] With Verona, he helped the club reach the play-offs.

Roma

On 19 July 2012, Tachtsidis signed a five-year contract with Roma for a fee of €2.5 million in co-ownership deal (€1.5 million plus 50% registration rights of Andrea Bertolacci).[7] He scored one goal in 21 appearances for the club during the 2012–13 season.

On 20 June 2013, Roma signed Mattia Destro outright for a pre-agreed figure of €4.5 million. Giammario Piscitella and Valerio Verre, who were sent to Genoa as part of the Destro loan deal, returned to Roma for €4 million in total (having cost Genoa €3 million in 2012). As part of this complex deal, Tachtsidis returned to Genoa for €3 million.[8]

Catania

On 20 June 2013, it was announced that Tachtsidis had returned to Genoa,[9] however, less than a month later he was sold in a co-ownership deal to Catania in exchange for the co-ownership of Francesco Lodi.[10][11] However, he left the club temporarily after 6 months and definitively in June 2014.

Loan to Torino

On 9 January 2014, he was loaned to Torino on loan for the rest of the season.[12][13][14][15] He made his first appearance on 19 January, in a 2–0 away win against Sassuolo. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 away draw against Lazio. On 13 June 2014, Tachtsidis and Lodi returned to Genoa and Catania respectively.[16][17][18]

Genoa and loan to Verona

Genoa bought back Tachtsidis on 13 June 2014. On 18 July 2014, he returned to Verona on loan with a buyout option at the end of the season.[19][20][21] However, Verona did not bought Tachtsidis; Tachtsidis returned to Genoa at the end of season, making his debut 2 months later.

He made his debut for Genoa on 23 August 2015, away to Palermo, as a 68th minute replacement for Diego Capel. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 win against Chievo Verona.[22][23]

Return to Torino and loan to Cagliari

On 5 August 2016, he signed a contract with Torino for a fee of reported €1.3 million.[24][25] However, contradicted to the press release,[26] Torino stated in the 2016 filing that the deal initially a loan.[27][28]

Less than a month after the signing of his contract with Torino, Cagliari signed Tachtsidis in a temporary deal.[29][30] On 15 November 2016 Tachtsidis was injured for at least two weeks after an injury on international duty.[31]

Olympiacos

On 30 June 2017, he was signed by Olympiacos.[32][33] On 19 September 2017, he made his debut with the club in a Greek Cup 2–1 home win game against Asteras Tripolis. On 7 February 2018, Tachtsidis grabbed a goal back from a set-piece for Oscar Garcia's Olympiacos, but the reds could not find a way back and waved goodbye to a chance of silverware with AEK progressing to the Greek Cup semifinals 2–1 on aggregate after the first leg ended 0–0. It was his first goal with the club.[34]

Nottingham Forest

On 5 September 2018, Tachtsidis signed for EFL Championship side Nottingham Forest on a two-year deal.[35] In December 2018, Tachtsidis completed a loan move to Italian club Lecce. The deal included a clause to make the move permanent the following summer. The Greek midfielder had found his opportunities hugely limited at the City Ground, following his arrival from Olympiacos. The 27-year-old has featured on the bench – but has not had any minutes on the pitch, amid fierce competition for places in Aitor Karanka's squad.[36]

Following his loan spell at Lecce, Tachtsidis was released by Forest.[37]

Lecce

On 3 January 2019, he moved to Serie B side Lecce on loan, with a clause included to make the move permanent in the summer.[38] On 19 January he made his debut with the giallorossi side in a home draw against Benevento in the Serie B.[39] On 11 May 2019, he helped his club in a 2–1 home win against Spezia Calcio and Lecce secured automatic promotion to Serie A. Lecce triggered the buying option at the end of the season.[40]

International career

Tachtsidis' exceptional season with both Catania and Torino was his passport not only to be called from Greek national manager Fernando Santos to the 30-man provisional World Cup squad, but also to the final 23-man squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup.[41]

On 30 March 2015, Tachtsidis and Vangelis Moras as well Giannis Fetfatzidis were in a car crash. The three Greek internationals were travelling by taxi to Budapest Airport in Hungary, following a Euro 2016 qualifier. One person was killed in the collision, but the Greek Federation released a statement confirming that the three players were not seriously injured. Three other people were seriously injured in the crash.[42] On 11 October 2015, he scored his first goal with Greece in a 4–3 home win against Hungary when he lashed in a powerful shot.[43]

Style of play

Tachtsidis is a particular type of player that needs to be accommodated into a specific system. Without being particularly athletic, the Greek international more than makes up for this with an exceptional range of passing.[44]

Career statistics

Club

As of 3 August 2020[45][46]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
AEK Athens	2007–08	Superleague Greece	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
	2008–09		9	1	4	0	0	0	13	1
	2009–10		9	1	1	0	2	0	12	1
	Total		20	2	6	0	2	0	28	2
Cesena (loan)	2010–11	Serie A	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Grosseto (loan)	2010–11	Serie B	8	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Verona (loan)	2011–12	Serie B	39	3	0	0	0	0	39	3
Roma	2012–13	Serie A	21	1	2	0	0	0	23	1
Catania	2013–14	Serie A	12	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
Torino (loan)	2013–14	Serie A	11	1	0	0	0	0	11	1
Verona (loan)	2014–15	Serie A	34	3	1	0	0	0	35	3
Genoa	2015–16	Serie A	24	2	1	0	0	0	25	2
Cagliari (loan)	2016–17	Serie A	26	0	0	0	0	0	26	0
Olympiacos	2017–18	Superleague Greece	17	0	5	1	3	0	25	1
Nottingham Forest	2018–19	EFL Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lecce (loan)	2018–19	Serie B	17	0	0	0	0	0	17	0
Lecce	2019–20	Serie A	28	0	1	0	0	0	29	0
Career total			259	12	16	1	5	0	280	13

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	11 October 2015	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece	Hungary	2–2	4–3	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification

References

1. sportdog-Super League
2. Tachtsidis scores winner Archived 2 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
3. "Tachtsidis signs contract with Genoa". Sport in Greece. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Arriva anche Tachtsidis" (in Italian). A.C. Cesena. 8 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
6. "La scheda di Tachtsidis, nuovo centrocampista gialloblù". Hellas Verona FC (in Italian). 18 July 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
7. "ANAGIOTIS TACHTSIDIS Acquisizione a titolo definitivo, con accordo di partecipazione" (PDF) (in Italian). AS Roma official website. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
8. "Esercizio dei diritti di opzione e controopzione e Rapporti di Partecipazione ex art. 102 bis NOIF" (PDF) (in Italian). AS Roma. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
9. "Roma sell Tachtsidis to Genoa". Football Italia. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
10. "Catania, scambio Lodi-Tachtsidis" (in Italian). Calcio Catania. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
11. "LODI UFFICIALMENTE ROSSOBLU'" (in Italian). Genoa CFC. 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
12. "Torino take on Tachtsidis". football-italia.net. 9 January 2014.
13. "Tachtsidis al Toro" (in Italian). Torino FC. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
14. "Torino take on Tachtsidis". Football Italia. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
15. "Panagiotis Tachtsidis al Torino FC: cessione a titolo temporaneo" (in Italian). Calcio Cataina. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
16. "RISOLTE DUE COMPARTECIPAZIONI" (in Italian). Genoa CFC. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
17. "Genoa snap up Tachtsidid". football365.com. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015.
18. "RISOLTE DUE COMPARTECIPAZIONI" (in Italian). Genoa C.F.C. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
19. "Tachtsidis joins Verona". football-italia.net. 18 July 2014.
20. "Επιστρέφει στη Βερόνα ο Ταχτσίδης". gazzetta.gr. 16 July 2014.
21. "Ufficiale: Panagiotis Tachtsidis in gialloblù" (in Italian). Hellas Verona FC. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
22. "Serie A, Genoa-Chievo 3-2 decide Tachtsidis". gazzetta.it. 18 October 2015.
23. "Serie A, Genoa-Chievo 3-2". football-italia.net. 18 October 2015.
24. "Στην Τορίνο ο Ταχτσίδης". sport24.gr. 5 August 2016.
25. "Panagiotis Tachtsidis officially returns to Torino". sdna.gr. 5 August 2016.
26. "Tachtsidis al Toro" (Press release) (in Italian). Torino F.C. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
27. Torino F.C. S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2016, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (in Italian)
28. "Calcio Mercato: Ultimi trasferimenti estate". Lega Serie A. 1 September 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
29. "Tachtsidis passa al Cagliari". toronews.net. 31 August 2016.
30. "Cagliari, Tachtsidis: "Rastelli mi ha chiesto calma. Non ci manca nulla"". calciomercato.it. 9 September 2016.
31. "Δύο βδομάδες εκτός ο Ταχτσίδης". multi-news.gr. 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
32. "Ανακοίνωσε τον Ταχτσίδη ο Ολυμπιακός". sport24.gr. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
33. "Tachtsidis all'Olympiacos" (Press release) (in Italian). Torino F.C. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
34. "Πρόκριση με γκολάρες: Η ΑΕΚ στον ημιτελικό, 2-1 τον Ολυμπιακό". sport24.gr. 7 February 2018.
35. "Reds sign Tachtsidis". Nottingham Forest Football Club. 5 September 2018.
36. "Κλείνει στη Λέτσε ο Ταχτσίδης". fosonline.gr. 28 December 2018.
37. https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/transfer-news/ben-osborn-linked-surprise-transfer-3070025
38. https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/football-news/fresh-start-ideal-pana-tachtsidis-2385399
39. Al Lecce non basta Mancosu: col Benevento finisce 1-1
40. Panagiotis Tachtsidis at Soccerway
41. "Greece World Cup 2014 squad". telegraph. 19 May 2014.
42. "Chievo, Verona players in car crash". football-italia.net. 30 March 2015.
43. "Greece - Hungary 4-3". sportinglife.com. 11 October 2015.
44. "10 Most Exciting Young Midfielders in Serie A". bleacherreport.com. 18 February 2013.
45. "Panagiotis Tachtsidis". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
46. "Panagiotis Tachtsidis". superleaguegreece.net. Retrieved 20 August 2017.

External links

• Panagiotis Tachtsidis at Soccerway
• Panagiotis Tachtsidis – UEFA competition record
• Panagiotis Tachtsidis at ESPN FC