After turning 20, Konstantinos Mavropanos departed his native Greece and joined Arsenal. He made only 8 appearances before leaving North London two years later. Mavropanos would make an impression on a brief loan at Nürnberg of the German second division, and then he would go out on loan once more in the summer of 2020, this time to Stuttgart. He made 89 games for the Bundesliga team Die Schwaben, who finished ninth before narrowly surviving relegation in back-to-back seasons.
After winning the Europa Conference League at age 25, he relocates back to London and signs a five-year deal with Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus, and James Ward-Prowse’s West Ham for €25 million. But what precisely can West Ham supporters anticipate from the Greek defender?
Playing attributes-
Mavropanos embodies the contemporary center-back, with a remarkable ability to move the ball forward through passing or dribbling. Mavropanos would frequently get the ball at Stuttgart and, because the opposition was not closing him down, he would attempt to move forward until the defence collapsed on him. When this happens, Mavropanos looks for a short ball to a teammate to take advantage of the collapsed defence.
He has an average.09 goals per 90 minutes, putting him in the 87th percentile among all centre backs. On the other end of the pitch, Mavropanos is prepared to win box headers and commit his body to make goal-line clearances, which is why he is likely to become West Ham’s first Greek player.
Mavropanos measures 1.94 m tall and is incredibly well built, allowing him to dominate lesser opponents. This is ideal for the Premier League and will suit David Moyes, who favours larger, more combative centre backs. Last season, he led the Bundesliga in interceptions, demonstrating his capacity to cut off the pass and look to advance to the next level.
How can Mavropanos help the Hammers?
West Ham has had a great start to the season, drawing with Bournemouth before going on to defeat Chelsea, Brighton, and Luton Town. They are tied with Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool on 10 points, two points behind Manchester City, and have already beaten Chelsea, Brighton, and Luton Town.
As the Hammers gear up to participate in all competitions, Mavropanos will have plenty of opportunities to impress David Moyes, despite facing tough competition from Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, and Angelo Ogbonna. He could even enable them to switch to a back three when required.
His strong presence will also be appreciated by West Ham fans, who will have a sturdy defender to rally behind. Mavropanos is also exceptionally quick for his stature, which will benefit the Hammers, who frequently lack out-and-out pace at the centre defence position and have frequently found themselves short in depth at the back owing to Aguerd’s ailments.
Konstantinos Mavropanos seems prepared to push for a starting berth in the English Premier League for a West Ham side that is on the rise under David Moyes, five years after earning his Premier League debut underneath Arsene Wenger.
