A once adored striker who now finds it hard to find the back of the net
A former hero at PAOK Thessaloniki, who he helped win the Greek Cup in 2003, Salpigidis has never been forgiven by the fans that used to adore him, and always has a difficult time returning to Salonika.
His transfer to Panathinaikos in summer 2006 was a drawn-out saga, in which he turned down Olympiakos but accepted a deal from Panathinaikos which saw his former club receive €1.8m plus three players in return.
It looked like great business when Salpigidis scored a hat-trick on his league debut in August 2006, but since Henk Ten Cate came in as coach and played with one up front, Salpigidis has often been the man to miss out or play out wide on the right, where his strengths - great finishing and a penalty-box instinct - are wasted.
Salpigidis struggles to get past his defender and his crosses need improving. His best chance of playing in his preferred position has been as a substitute in Panathianikos’s away games in Europe.
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