Just a few days before the start of the tipp3-Bundesliga 2013/14 the club is delighted to announce yet another new signing: 22 year old defensive midfielder Thanos Petsos will join us from SpVgg Greuther Fürth under a contract that will keep him in Hütteldorf until Summer 2016. The legal formalities were scheduled for completion on Tuesday, as well as Thanos' medical.Director of Football Helmut Schulte on the transfer of a player who spent most of his formative years with Bayer Leverkusen: "I'm very happy that it was possible for us to remain active in the transfer market and bring in a defensive midfielder, who, despite his age, already has a wealth of experience. Thanks to the streamlining activities going on throughout the club its been possible to remain in the hunt for new talent and I'm extremely grateful to club President Rudolf Edlinger amongst others for the work that has gone into making it possible for us to realise this transfer.”Three years in the German top flightDefensive midfield talent Thanos Petsos (born am 5. June 1991 in Düsseldorf), who holds both German and Greek nationalities, left Bayer 04 Leverkusen (made appearance for Leverkusen aged 18) for 1. FC Kaiserslautern in Summer 2010 and went on to make 39 appearances in the German Bundesliga for the "Red Devils" in two seasons with the club. Following his move to SpVgg Greuther Fürth last July he went on to make a further 14 appearances in Germany's top flight. "Thanos doesn't only perform the classic midfield destroyer role, but also has the quality to get involved in build up play. He is a top athlete and last year clocked up an average of 12km per 90 minutes", added our Director of Football.Trainer Zoran Barisic is excited about his new midfield option: "It's of course extremely positive that we have pushed this transfer through. In the past few days our sporting hierarchy have really got through a lot of great work. Thanos should really strengthen us and I'm looking forward to being able to welcome him into the fold." The right footer, who is well known for his polished technical abilities, has already made an appearance for the Greek A-Team and appeared for Greece at various youth levels. "Put in lots of effort to get me here"Before Thanos Petsos completed the lasts of his tests on Tuesday he gave his initial reactions to his move to Vienna: "Director of Football Helmut Schulte and Coach Zoran Barisic really put a lot of effort into the transfer and that was key to my decision to take the step to move here. I'm still a very young player and I'm convinced that a move abroad will be good for me. Rapid has a young squad who both want to, and can play good football. We also have to chance to compete at an international level. The club offers a very professional environment, has a reputation outside of Austria and Vienna is a beautiful city."(gw)
18.07.2013