Anastasios Bakasetas is one of Cardiff City’s rumoured transfer targets for January 2024, with manager Erol Bulut looking to add some more talent into his struggling midfield.
With injuries to Joe Ralls and Aaron Ramsey, Cardiff City have lacked creativity in the middle of the park this season, leading to a bad run of form that left them 12th in the league following a 3-0 loss to Hull City.
Anastasios Bakasetas is a 30-year-old Greek midfielder who currently plays for Trabzonspor in Turkey. He is the captain of the Greek national team, and a reported target of manager Erol Bulut.
He has played with current Cardiff City midfielder Manolis Siopis at both International and club level, with hopes that their partnership can help reignite the Bluebirds disappointing season.
Also known as “Tasos”, Bakasetas has played 64-times for Greece, netting 13 goals from midfield. He is a creative midfielder with an eye for goal, netting 25 times in the Turkish league for Trabzonspor in 92 match.
The Greek midfielder has been ever present for his club this season and his performances have shown why Cardiff City have made him their top midfield target.
He has played 76% of the minutes for Trabzonspor this season, scoring 4 and assisting one in just 13 matches. Bakasetas has been involved in 19% of his clubs goals, so would be a huge loss for the Turkish side.
Tasos Bakasetas previously played for Erol Bulut at Alanyaspor, where his partnership with Manolis Siopis helped lead the club to a fifth-place finish and a Turkish Cup final appearance.
While his previous work with the manager is a huge part of why he’s wanted by the Bluebirds, Erol Bulut has noted one key issue in bringing the Greece captain to the Cardiff City Stadium.
Anastasios Bakasetas Wages Are Too High For Cardiff City
Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut has revealed that attacking midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas’ wages are the stumbling block stopping him from joining the club.
Speaking with Wales Online, the Turkish manager that “it is not possible” for Cardiff to match the wages Bakasetas is on at Trabzonspor considering the recent financial troubles Cardiff City have found themselves in.
“I think the amount he is earning in Trabzon, for our club, it’s not possible to pay those wages.
“That’s why this deal looks difficult for us. He is a great player and I know him very well. We have been a long time together, we pushed him to where he is right now and he knows this. I know what he can give to a team.”
While this may seem like the end of the pursuit by Cardiff, the has been some positive news to come out of Turkey.
It has been reported NTVSpor.net that Bakasetas has rejected two contract offers from Trabzonspor, with a third not likely to come from club president Ertuğrul Doğan.
In a statement made by the club, they wrote:
“The allegations made on some news sites and social media accounts regarding the new contract offer of our football player Anastasios Bakasetas do not reflect the truth. Unethical and speculative news like this harms both our club and our players.”
Former Trabzonspor midfielder Serdar Bali claimed that the player has already agreed a deal to sign for Cardiff, while no transfer fee has been agreed between the two clubs.
“According to the information I received, Bakasetas reached an agreement with Cardiff. Of course, I don’t know if someone will pay more for the signature and change their mind, these things happen.”
There is a chance that Bakasetas could join the club in the summer, with his contract up in the summer. He is free to sign a pre-contract with the Bluebirds in January, so Trabzonspor may prefer to get a transfer fee from Cardiff in January instead of losing him for free in the summer instead.
