FCK sign Greece international Pantelis Hatzidiakos
F.C. Copenhagen have signed defender Pantelis Hatzidiakos from Serie A club Cagliari on loan until the end of the season. The agreement contains a purchase option.
Hatzidiakos, 27, grew up in the Netherlands and played more than 200 games for AZ Alkmaar before moving to Italy last year.
He boasts 34 caps for Greece and plays primarily at centre-back.
"Pantelis’ arrival means we now have our defensive structure in place. It is important for us to have four central defenders, especially in the autumn when we have to play so many games," says sporting director Sune Smith-Nielsen.
"With a Dutch approach to football and solid international experience, we have found the last piece for our central defence with Pantelis.
"He is a really talented footballer, and we are looking forward to welcoming him when he comes back from the international break with Greece.”
Hatzidiakos: Looking forward to arriving
Hatzidiakos made his Greece debut in 2019 and is looking forward to broadening his career with a move to Denmark.
"I have followed from a distance and am very impressed by what F.C. Copenhagen stands for and can offer," says Hatzidiakos from Greece’s national team camp.
"I've only heard good things about the club, and I'm looking forward to experiencing the fans, the club and the city. Now I'm looking forward to meeting my new teammates, and I have big ambitions to make a difference on the pitch from day one."
‘We already know him very well’ – Neestrup
Head coach Jacob Neestrup is looking forward to working with Hatzidiakos.
"We’re getting an international player in our squad, who for many seasons has been used to taking responsibility in a team, as a key player at AZ Alkmaar,” says Neestrup.
"We already know him very well from last summer. He is a player who is really good with the ball, who also has plenty of calmness and coolness. He arrives with a lot of experience from the national team and the top of the Dutch league.”
Hatzidiakos will wear shirt no. 6 and will join his new F.C. Copenhagen teammates when he has finished his national team duties.