Giannis Konstantelias – PAOK’s creative gem

Giannis or Ioannis Konstantelias has yet to see his 20th birthday but has already been subject of interest from Europe’s biggest clubs as he was subject of a €1 million offer from Barcelona as his family decided not to accept the offer while he was also the subject of interest from Chelsea. He has been compared to Lionel Messi at youth level as his talent has seen him embark on his breakout season for PAOK this year as interest in him is only set to increase. At youth level, his performances warranted high praise and interest as despite all the accolades, the 19-year-old has maintained a level head as he has quickly become one of PAOK’s most important players this season.

Konstantelias was born in Volos as he joined Agia Paraskevi at 9-years-old as he would soon begin to play with the older age-groups as football was the youngster’s obsession, playing in the streets and parks as well. He soon caught the attention of PAOK, joining the club at 10 or 11-years-old as the club would facilitate him and his parents moving to Thessaloniki where the club moved him around at youth level, playing him as a striker as well as on the wings. The 19-year-old prefers to play as a central attacking midfielder and on the left-wing as he had an immensely successful youth career at the club, being named as MVP in domestic and international tournaments as he won a cup and lost another final with the Under 17 side. With the Under 19 side, he won two championships as he scored and assisted goals as he is no secret to the bigger clubs in European football. This culminated in the youngster making his debut against OFI, coming off the bench in a 3-0 victory on the 17th of January 2021.

Konstantelias stands as a tall and physically robust player as he is skilled in bouncing off challenges and using his magnetic close control to weave in and out of tight situations and surge into open space. His intelligence for movement into space in between the lines is impeccable as once he receives possession, he has a patented swivel which allows him to drive the ball into open space and create opportunities in the final third. His first touch in controlling balls is magnificent as he loves to control high balls with the outside of his right boot which puts him in the perfect position to transition into dribbles. In the final third, the 19-year-old is such a complete player at such a young age as he has the vision for through balls, working passes into the box for runners with the perfect angles and weighting as he can also work combinations in and around the box or cross from the half-space. Inside the box, he has the potential to develop into a goal scorer at the professional level as his penchant for double movement and finding space in the box is excellent as he manages to generate high quality opportunities for himself.

Away to Asteras Tropolis, Konstantelias received possession from a throw-in to prod the ball forward and thread a through ball for a teammate in the channels to play a cut-back into the box. During a counter-attack, he received possession on the left flank, driving the ball forward before cutting back to evade a defender and thread a pass in between the lines to a teammate before continuing his run as he received possession once more to play a one-touch pass to the nine-space. When the 19-year-old is operating from the left flank when PAOK win a turnover, he will normally tuck into the ten space to create a direct passing option in between the lines while he can also drop deeper to receive possession in the eight space. When he drops into the deeper areas, he is normally more conservative with possession looking to lay-off the ball and play safe, especially when he has an opposition player pushing up to apply pressure on him. Konstantelias dropped into the eight space to receive possession from the deepest-lying midfielder, turning to drive the ball forward, threading a pass into the channels before continuing his movement to occupy a position on the right flank.

When Konstantelias receives possession in between the lines or in the ten space, he is gifted at utilizing his patented swivel to drive possession forward as he received possession, swivelling to shield possession from an opposition defensive midfielder before driving the ball forward as he lost possession on the edge of the opposition box. The 19-year-old thrives in receiving possession in a variety of areas, be it in the eight space, on both flanks and half-spaces, as well as the ten space and nine-space as he rarely remains married to one position throughout the game. During a counter-attack, he receives possession in the nine-space, using his body to shield the ball from an opposition defender before swivelling past a second defender as he prodded the ball forward as a defender was about to engage him to thread a pass to a teammate. In another counter-attacking situation, he scanned and moved into a pocket of space to receive possession in between the lines, driving the ball forward and playing a well-weighted through ball to a runner on the right channel.

When he is operating in the deeper areas or in the final third, Konstantelias’ head is constantly on swivel which allows him to occupy good positions in between the lines and also make intelligent runs into the box. The 19-year-old was scanning as a pass was played into the channels as he made a brilliant run to the near post where he received a cut-back which was deflected wide. He recognized a pocket of open space to drop into the eight space to receive possession, turning to drive the ball forward as he attempted a through ball which was blocked as he received possession once more, allowing the ball to roll across his body as he took a touch and threaded a pass in between the lines. The Greek teenager has a mastery of the minute details of manipulating tight spaces as when he receives possession, he looks to attract a marker before contorting his body to release a penetrative pass with the outside of his right foot or to release the ball with in-step as these sequences are crucial in allowing him to progress play. He received possession in the ten space again, swivelling with possession to drive the ball forward, skipping past a sliding tackle to attempt a switch which was intercepted.

Konstantelias utilized his ability to manipulate tight spaces when he received possession on the right flank, driving the ball into the centre with his first touch, slaloming past two defenders to nonchalantly flick a well-timed through ball to a runner who applied the finish. One of the intriguing things about the 19-year-old is that he is not solely a chance creator from through balls as he is a wonderful crosser, especially from the half-space, a diligent set-piece taker while he can also work connections around the box to create space. He received possession in the left half-space to lob a cross to the back-post for a teammate to volley wide. He dropped into the 8 space once more to receive possession, swivelling to poke a progressive pass to a teammate on the flank before making a run into the half-space. Konstantelias is also a chance creator through cut-backs as he received possession on the left flank, driving to the by-line to evade a marker before cutting back a cross to a teammate who hammered the opportunity onto the post. He received possession in the left half-space where he had a pass blocked before switching a ball to the right flank.

Konstantelias received possession on the left flank to cut inside and fire a shot at goal. Defensively, PAOK Head Coach, Razvan Lucescu has educated him on the importance of improving this aspect of his game as the 19-year-old now shows defensive diligence. He dropped back to cover the passing lane to the ten space where he made an interception and regained possession for his team in the opposition half. In a counter-attacking situation, he made a run into the channels to receive possession, holding off a defender and playing a cut-back which was intercepted. He used his body to regain possession in an aerial duel in the opposition half, driving the ball into the centre of the pitch and working a pass to a teammate. In another counter-attacking situation, the teenager was occupying the nine-space as he made a run towards the back-post before diverting his run to the near post where a cross was played in front of him. In another counter-attacking situation, he received possession on the right flank, playing a through ball which was too heavy for a runner and rolled into the arms of the goalkeeper.

Konstantelias won another turnover in the opposition half, working a pass to the wide areas before making a run into the half-space to receive possession, playing a low cross to a teammate as his delivery was blocked. The Greek attacker received possession in the left half-space to play a nonchalant flick for a runner which was cleared away. He received possession in the same area to drive the ball towards the centre where he lobbed a pass onto the chest of an attacker who had a shot blocked. After a turnover from a corner, he received possession in his own box to drive the ball forward to thread a pass to the wide areas. In the opposition half, he received possession in the left half-space, shielding the ball to swivel past a defender and drive the ball forward to skip past a marker and work a pass to the ten space to facilitate a switch. The 19-year-old received possession in the same zone, demanding the ball before using his patented swivel when he received possession to drive the ball into the centre, skipping past a defender as he lost possession when another defender closed him down.

In another counter-attacking situation, the youngster received possession on the left flank to curl a through ball to a teammate who was unable to get on the end of it. In the attacking phase, he moved to occupy the nine-space, making a brilliant circular run around a defender as the ball looped over his head in a switch as he made a run to the near post for a cut-back which he sent wide. Konstantelias was positioned in the nine-space once more as the ball was played to the left flank as the teenager ghosted to the near post where he sent a header over the bar. At home to his hometown team, Volos, he was in the deeper areas as he received possession and swivelled to work a pass to the wide areas for a direct pass forward. In a counter attacking situation he made a run in behind his fullback on the left flank before diverting his run into the centre to remain onside as he received possession and spread a pass for a teammate who had a shot blocked.

In counter-attacking situation, Konstantelias has a wonderful blend of attributes that allow him to be a constant threat in these situations as he can instigate attacking moves, receiving possession in the deeper areas to drive the ball forward and thread passes into runners while he can also operate in the opposition half, making brilliant runs and movements into space to receive possession and use his penetrative passing to create opportunities. In a counter-attacking situation, he faked a run to the left channel before making a blind-sided movement into the ten space to evade his marker as he received possession and swivelled allowing him to lob a pass for a runner which dropped into the arms of the goalkeeper as his pass was too heavy. In the final third, Konstantelias is such a gifted player because he can receive possession from a variety of body angles and shapes as his first touch is impeccable while his directional first touch to evade markers is amazing as well. The 19-year-old received possession in the half-space, allowing the ball to roll across his body and prodding the ball forward with his first touch to evade his marker, driving into the box to cut-back for a teammate who played a pass back into the box who squared a cross which nearly led to a goal.

In a counter-attacking situation, he received possession, allowing the ball to roll across his body before switching possession to the right flank. Konstantelias a lobbed pass on the left flank, controlling the ball with the outside of his right boot to cut-back as his defender slid past him for the teenager to have a shot blocked. With the ball on the right flank, the 19-year-old tucked into the ten space, dropping deep to receive possession as he scanned and adjusted his body shape, turning to face the opposition goal as the ball rolled into his path as he allowed the ball to roll across his body to his left foot, driving the ball forward to thread a through ball in behind with his right foot as his teammate prodded the ball past the goalkeeper and won a penalty. He received a lay-off to drive the ball forward in the opposition half and thread a pass into the channels for a cross into the box.

Konstantelias tucked inside and received possession on the left flank, playing an outside of the boot pass to the half-space as he tried to move into the central areas and was tripped as he moved back into the wide areas to receive possession once more, recognizing open space in front of him to drive the ball forward as he recognized a run in the centre of the pitch to play an outside of the boot pass which was just too heavy. In a pressing situation on the left flank, he was closing down the opposition fullback who played the ball behind him as the 19-year-old tracked back to regain possession and thread a pass to the nine-space. He was involved in winning one penalty as he would be involved in winning a second penalty as PAOK regained possession in the counter-press as the teenager moved to occupy a position in the left half-space within the box as he received possession, swivelled and slalomed in between two defenders as one brought him down with a late challenge.

After a turnover, Konstantelias made a run into the channels to receive possession, swivelling when he received the ball as he muscled past a defender to drive the ball forward as he cut-back, used his body to shield the ball from a second defender and attempted a pass into the channels which was intercepted. The 19-year-old made a run into the left channel where he received possession, cutting into the centre and lobbing a pass to the back-post for a teammate to play a cut-back for a blocked shot. Konstantelias can operate as the creative fulcrum for a team but he also has the intelligence to orchestrate attacking moves from the deeper areas and link play together to play the ball that leads to the assist. The teenager was positioned on the left flank as he made a run from the flank to the centre, slowing his stride to remain onside as he positioned himself in between the two centre-backs as he made a run into the six-yard area as a cross was played behind him.

Konstantelias made a run from the nine-space to the left flank as he received possession and cut-back a pass to the top of the box. The Greek teenage sensation moved to occupy the ten space as he attracted two defenders to flick the ball to a teammate before moving into a pocket of space as he then made a movement into the right half-space as the ball was played into the wide areas. The ball was then played back into the centre for Konstantelias to continue his movement and occupy a pocket of space for a shot that was sent straight at the goalkeeper. Away to Ionikos, he received possession at the top of his own box after a turnover to thread a pass to the nine-space to start a counter-attacking move. In another counter-attacking situation, he would intelligently move into the left half-space to receive possession, drive into the box and cut-back a cross which was intercepted.

The 19-year-old was involved in the move that led to his side’s opening goal when he made a run from the ten space to the left half-space to receive possession with three defenders surrounding him as he poked a pass to a runner in the half-space who cut-back for a teammate to score. In a build-up sequence, Konstantelias side-stepped into a pocket of space to receive possession, driving the ball forward to hold off one defender as he poked the ball past two players and lost possession. He received possession on the left flank to drive the ball into the centre of the pitch and work a pass to the nine-space. Konstantelias was involved in the second goal of the game, making an interception to regain possession in a 4-4-2 press as he played the ball to Nelson Olivera who drove the ball forward and struck home from range. In another counter-attacking situation, he skipped past a defender with his first touch, playing the ball to Olivera on the left flank before making an overlapping run to receive possession and play a through ball to a runner in the half-space before he received possession once more to work a pass for another teammate in the half-space.

Konstantelias made another movement from the left flank to the nine-space to receive a cut-back for a shot that he sent straight at the goalkeeper. The 19-year-old showed his defensive awareness for the rest of the game when he pushed forward to make a tackle before holding possession and drawing a foul. After an opposition corner was deflected towards the top of the box, the 19-year-old would regain possession to drive the ball forward, shielding the ball from an opposition player before playing a through ball for a striker making a run in behind who cut-back a pass for a teammate to finish off the move with aplomb as the 19-year-old playmaker was involved in all three goals in the game. He regained possession in the opposition half once more to cut past a defender and work a pass to the ten space as the ball was played into the wide areas as he made a movement into the vacant nine-space to receive a through ball to divert it away from goal and hold possession before playing a back-pass. While he was retreating from the higher areas, Konstantelias won another tackle to regain possession for his team in the defensive phase.

In a short space of time, Konstantelias has begun to fulfil his early promise as an integral creative player as he should have a consistent starting role in 2023. His intelligence in between the lines, especially at receiving possession and turning into space to drive the ball forward allows to have a better overview of situations to release the ball into runners. The 19-year-old has a mastery of tight-space manoeuvring, be it drawing markers to release the ball into space, swivelling into space to drive the ball forward as well as his directional first touch, constantly using this to evade his first marker to drive into space. In terms of creativity and his final ball, he can create opportunities from a variety of angles in through ball situations, passing connections around the box, set-pieces while also being inventive with crosses and lobbed passes from the half-space or driving to the by-line to play cut-backs into the box. At such a young age, he is already efficient with his chance creation tools but some of his through balls can be too heavy.

The 19-year-old will develop and grow as a goal scorer in the future as he can make well-timed runs into the box from counter-attacking situations to finish off attacking moves while he also makes double-movements in the opposition box to get into good areas. He will need to improve his finishing as he gets into good areas but spurns high-quality opportunities. Konstantelias is a threat in counter-attacking opportunities as well as in approach play situations as he has a blend of vision, creativity and ball-carrying which allows him to challenge the opposition in different circumstances. He can receive possession after the turnover to lead the counter-attacking situation, driving the ball from his own half or receive possession in the opposition half to create shooting opportunities for teammates.

Defensively, he can use his body to push up to make tackles and interceptions as well as win 50/50s cleanly in the opposition half as if he plays as a playmaker, he is well-versed in closing down the opposition six-space and closing passing lanes to the area. In the counter-pressing phase, he can cover space to make tackles and interceptions as after the turnover, he is able to recycle the ball at pace with penetrative passes. Konstantelias would thrive as a left-winger or central attacking playmaker but he also has the potential to be a controlling deep-lying 8 as well as being a false-nine for some teams around Europe. His early performances mean that he could be on the radar of a few of the data savvy clubs in the summer as they look to purchase him before his value skyrockets with more appearances.

Konstantelias has a contract until 2026 as PAOK did well to tie him down before loaning him to Eupen last year. His value could skyrocket much like Mykhailo Mudryk’s as data-savvy clubs may look to acquire him for a cheaper price in the summer. Brentford would be a good landing spot for him as he is a different profile for the team and can play a variety of roles in their current system while at Brighton and Hove Albion with Adam Lallana aging as Leandro Trossard and Alexis Mac Allister being subject of interest in the summer, the 19-year-old Greek wonderkid would be perfect for their system under Roberto De Zerbi. He would also be a good profile for clubs like Southampton, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Fulham and Arsenal as an option for Granit Xhaka’s role or an understudy for Martin Odegaard. Ajax, Benfica and Napoli would be a good landing spot for the youngster as in the Bundesliga, Frankfurt, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen would also be good landing spots. Konstantelias would suit Vincent Kompany’s Burnley as their movement in the attacking areas would give him the opportunity to receive possession and be creative in the final third. In La Liga, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Atletico Madrid, Celta Vigo and Sevilla would be perfect for him while in Ligue 1, Marseille, Monaco, Lyon and Nice would also be good intermediate moves for him. Amongst the data savvy clubs and middle-rung of European football, Konstantelias would be one of the more sought after players as Mudryk was last summer.