News broke over the weekend about the possibility of Hibernian handing former Sunderland flop Charis Mavrias a deal until the end of the season. However, when I looked into his playing career and credentials, I ended up sitting in front of my monitor scratching my chin and looking bewildered.
Sports journo Mark Atkinson wrote a piece in the Edinburgh Evening News last Saturday and within his article said the former Greece international had impressed Neil Lennon on a recent trial and was considering offering him a deal which would run until May 2019.
With five senior international caps resting neatly in his otherwise tumbleweed filled trophy cabinet Mr. Atkinson, who will undoubtedly have ‘inside’ information reported the Hibs deal would be rubberstamped sometime this week.
Mavrias can play as either a right full-back, wing-back or winger, however, and in my opinion, he can’t be that good especially when his former Croatian side Rijeka let him go in the summer.
Research suggests no other club has been chasing the 24-year-old.
Career
Beginning his professional life at one of the biggest Greek clubs around, Panathinaikos, Sunderland FC, who were battling for Premier League survival in 2013 allegedly paid around £3million for his services on a four-year deal.
Sadly the step up into England’s top-tier league proved way too much for him to handle and after four appearances within a two year period found himself heading back, on loan to his former club.
Another brief loan period, this time in Germany (Fortuna Dusseldorf) and Sunderland managed to offload the flop in 2016 for a mere £400,000 to another low-league third tier German club.
One season in Croatia (2016/17) and that was that. Charis Mavrias found himself on the scrapheap.
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Final thought
You may have figured I am not a huge Mavrias fan. However, if the Hibs boss and his staff consider him to be a worth a punt with no strings attached, then they will have seen something few others have.
OMG, we’ve gone and signed him!!!!!