Paphos’s press officer, Christoforos Matthaiou, spoke to “SPOR FM 95.0” about everything related to the team.

Specifically, he addressed the contract renewal offer made to Lukassen, the situations involving Babo Diaby, Brito, and Biel, and the team’s preseason training camp in Austria.

Here is what he said in detail

On Guga: “The player’s long-term contract is indicative of the faith we have in his talent. He has already integrated with our team in Austria. It was a difficult situation because he was under contract with another team. It is very significant that Paphos has acquired a player of such market value without paying any transfer fee.”

Regarding Diaby: “It’s too early to talk about any player. We need to be patient. Cases involving players who are under contract are always difficult. I neither confirm nor deny anything regarding the player.”

If we sign him, will he be the replacement for Lukassen? “We need to be patient. It doesn’t mean that if a center back joins, Lukassen will leave, or that if Lukassen stays, another center back won’t join. We can’t say that one situation affects the other.”

On Lukassen and his situation: “He’s asked us to give him some time, because he’s fully committed to his national team. He’s a tremendous professional and soccer player who has given his all. We’re making an effort—that much is certain. There have been discussions, but I don’t know if the team will wait for him. It makes sense for a player with this track record—who is a free agent, scored in the World Cup, and is currently without a contract—to be patient for the sake of his career.”

On Lele: “There was a clause in the previous agreement for him to stay with the team for another year on loan. He arrived midseason and needed time to adjust, but he’s a player with good qualities and abilities. We’re confident he’ll be even better this year.”

Brito and Biel have not yet been announced: “We need a little patience. They both come from the same team, and that’s significant. We’re closely monitoring their situations and hope to reach a conclusion in the coming days. Once July rolls around, the situation will change for many teams, as the contracts of several players will expire.”

Regarding Angelopoulos: “We cannot engage in a public discussion about a player from another team. Our team made an offer, and Ethnikos has every right to say no. I don’t know if we’ll revisit the matter; I’m not sure. We respect Ethnikos as a team, and they have every right to reject our offer if it didn’t meet their expectations.”

On the training camp in Austria: “We’ve been here in the Tyrol region for a few days now. We’ll be playing some friendly matches, and the team has already gotten down to work. Dragomir has joined us, and we’re gradually expecting the players who are at the World Cup to arrive as well. The roster is starting to fill up, and I think we’re in a very good place for this stage of the season. The core of the team is in place, and, as I’ve said before, our goal is to be as ready as possible before our first European match. As for the roster and the foreign players, if we can finalize a few of the cases we discussed earlier, I believe we’ll have a full roster.”