Celtic’s £900k windfall as Giakoumakis completes $10m move to Mexican side Cruz Azul | OneFootball

As we reported a few weeks ago former Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis was set to quit Atlanta United for a $10m move to Mexican side Cruz Azul. That move has now gone through and results in a tidy windfall of around £900,000 for Celtic thanks to the sell-on clause that took the Greek striker from Glasgow to the MLS side.

Giakoumakis arrived at Celtic from Dutch minnows VVV Venlo in the first few months of Ange Postecolglou’s time at Celtic. The Greek had finished the Eredivisie as top goalscorer with 26 goals despite his side being relegated and that attracted Celtic attention and a £2.5m deal brought him to Glasgow.

Giakoumakis suffered an injury while warming up as a substitute in a match at Celtic Park, so it was a while before his attributes were appreciated by the Celtic support, as Kyogo Furuhashi led the line so magnificently for Celtic.

When back to full fitness Giakoumakis started to show why Postecoglou brought him to Glasgow. In total he scored 26 goals for Celtic in 57 games while for Atlanta he found the back of the net 24 times in 43 matches.

Giorgos Giakoumakis celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk, at the Celtic Park on October 25, 2022. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)

The player was unhappy at Celtic as he wanted an improved contract and also more game time and Celtic allowed him to leave in February 2023 for £4.3m, with VVV Venlo due a cut from their own sell-on clause.

Now that Giakoumakis is on the move again, this time from Atlanta to Mexico City, Celtic’s 10% sell-on clause will produce a tidy £900k windfall.

Atlanta VP and technical director Carlos Bocanegra confirmed that the deal had gone through and thanked Giorgos Giakoumakis for his contribution during his time at the club.

Atlanta defender Brooks Lennon 11 reacts after teammate Giorgos Giakoumakis 7 scored a goal during the MLS, Fussball Herren, USA match between D.C. United and Atlanta United FC on June 10th, 2023 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire SOCCER: JUN 10 MLS – Atlanta United FC vs D.C. United

He said via the club’s official website: “We’re grateful for Giorgos’ contributions during his time at the club and we wish him the best moving forward. This transfer illustrates the nature of operating in a global marketplace. With a lot of season left to play, we plan to strengthen the group during the upcoming Summer Transfer Window.”

Best of luck to Giorgos and his family.

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