Ħamrun Spartans
are back in the transfer market for a central defender after Orestis
Nikolopoulos has decided to continue his career in Cyprus with Ayia Napa.
The towering
Greek defender looked as though he would extend his stay with the Reds after he
fully recovered from a serious cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered last
season.
Last week, he was
part of the Ħamrun squad, under the charge of coach Mark Buttigieg, that underwent
a training camp in Gozo.
However, Nikolopoulos
had a change of heart when this week he received a lucrative offer from Ayia
Napa, the same Cypriot club who late
last month had managed to secure the services of another former Ħamrun Spartans
player, Marco Criaco.
Ayia Napa have
just lost their top-flight status in the Cypriot league and are now looking to
return to the top division under the charge of Italian coach Manuele Blasi, who
coached both Nikolopoulos and Criaco in the BOV Premier League last season.
Ħamrun are now
understood to have set their sights on trying to sign young Malta defender Kurt
Shaw, who is on the books of Sliema Wanderers.
It is understood
that the Spartans are expected to meet the Sliema top hierarchy in the coming
days in a bid to bring a valuable replacement for Nikolopoulos.
Should the
Spartans fail in their bid to sign Shaw they will turn their sights on signing
an overseas defender as they look to produce a strong performance in the BOV Premier
League next season, with a possible bid for European football on their agenda.
