Hamburg have confirmed the departure of Kyriakos Papadopoulos on Twitter amid claims that the Greece international could be on his way to join Sheffield United on a free transfer.
Is there a more unique job in English football than the one bestowed upon Chris Wilder’s centre-backs?
While most defenders are content with merely stopping the other team from scoring, Chris Basham, Jack O’Connell and co are not only centre-halves but wingers and play-makers too, with Wilder’s famed 3-5-2 system continuing to bamboozle even the most experienced of Premier League managers.
So it remains to be seen whether Papadopoulos can adapt to these most inimitable tactics at Bramall Lane.
Sport24 reported on Thursday that Sheffield United are keen to sign the 28-year-old in a bargain deal after Hamburg somehow managed to out-Hamburg themselves on the final day of the 2.Bundesliga season.
One of Germany’s most historic clubs had promotion all but sewn up but a stunning 5-1 home defeat to mid-table Sandhausen consigned them to a third season of second-tier football instead.
As a result, Hamburg have been forced to bid farewell to a number of key players, confirming on Twitter that former Bayer Leverkusen and Olympiakos powerhouse Papadopoulos is now a free agent.
An old-school, granit-covered defender, Papadopoulos could be a back-up option for John Egan at the heart of Wilder’s backline rather than one of those overlapping centre-halves.
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