Giorgos Giakoumakis’ future has been a topic of discussion amongst Celtic fans for a while now. It feels inevitable that he will be leaving the club before the January transfer window slams shut. On the other hand, the Hoops appear to be closing in on the signing of Suwon Samsung Bluewings striker, Oh Hyeon-gyu.
While there is a lot of excitement around the signing of Oh, it is safe to say that Giakoumakis leaving in the middle of the season would be a blow for Celtic and their hopes of challenging for a treble this season.
After all, the Greek striker had played a key part in their Premiership triumph last season, almost scoring for fun in the second half of the campaign. And while Kyogo is the undisputed starter, he has remained a reliable option to bring off the bench.
There has been some confusion about his destination, but it looks like the Greek international has finally made his decision. As reported by SDNA, Giakoumakis has agreed to continue his career in Atlanta and not with the Urawa Red Diamonds. All that remains now is Celtic’s approval to seal the transfer.
Giakoumakis finally decides his next club after Celtic
It remains to be seen if a move to Atlanta United transpires or not. But one would feel that it should not really be an issue.
Atlanta United play in the MLS and they are a decent enough side for Giakoumakis to go to. It is worth remembering that he is 28 years of age and this is most probably the last big move of his playing career.
It will be interesting to see whether Oh can replace the impact of Giakoumakis or not. While the South Korean striker is very highly rated, he is just 21 years of age and not the complete forward yet.