Birmingham City are set to battle it out against Cardiff City for the services of Greek defender Kostas Triantafyllopoulos, as per reports from English media. Triantafyllopoulos featured in well over 100 appearances whilst playing Panathinaikos between 2012 to 2016, before moving Asteras Tripolis.
The Blues are lavishing around the relegation zone and defensive atrocity has been one of the key reasons behind their demise this season. And with a change in management, Steve Cotterill could fancy bringing in some new faces in the January transfer window.
Even though the Championship side did sign Harley Dean and Marc Roberts in the summer, they have hardly managed to keep their defensive shape intact, eventually conceding an excess amount of goals this season. Therefore, the Blues head coach will be looking to make a few adjustments in the defensive department and the addition of Kostas Triantafyllopoulos could be a step in the right direction.
Triantafyllopoulos, a former Under-21 player for Greece, is a no-nonsense defensive rock, as you would expect from any other Greek centre back. The current 24-year-old defender is a strong and a clinical when it comes to dealing with opposition pressure.
The former Panathinaikos star has successfully established himself as a regular first teamer at Asteras Tripolis, and his consistent performances in the Greek top division have attracted the attention of several clubs across Europe.
While he may not be the most tactically astute defender in the world, Triantafyllopoulos surely makes up for it, with his incredible commitment and ferocity at the back. A fearless warrior on the pitch, Triantafyllopoulos is never afraid to get scrappy even against bulky attackers.
Birmingham’s inability to deal with strong attackers has played a huge part in their defensive mishaps of late and Triantafyllopoulos can help address that problem, thanks to his unrivalled strength and tenacity at the back.
Last but not the least, the Greek centre-back is also quite strong when it comes to aerial duels, as well as tackling accuracy, meaning he has all the right ingredients to thrive in the Championships. While he may well have to work very hard to earn proper game time at Birmingham, his strength, dominance and warrior-like character could play a huge role for the remained of the campaign for the Blues, as they look to escape from the relegation places.
