Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis returns to Athens to finalise Hull City transfer

A homegrown talent

Konstantinos Tzolakis joined Olympiacos' academy as a child and spent nine years at the club. He made 131 appearances across all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in 64 of those matches. His breakthrough came during the 2023-24 season, when he played a decisive role in Olympiacos' UEFA Conference League victory, the club's first European trophy. The following year he helped secure the domestic double, cementing his status as the first-choice goalkeeper. The 23-year-old's consistency and shot-stopping ability made him a fan favourite at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

The Premier League ambition

According to Olympiacos vice-president Kostas Karapapas, Tzolakis had been open about his desire to move to a major European league since the Conference League triumph. The goalkeeper wanted to play in England, Spain or Italy. The club told him the move would happen at the right moment. This summer, with Hull City newly promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history, Tzolakis decided the time had come. Karapapas spoke emotionally about the bond between the player and the club, noting they had been with him every day for nine years, through illness, injuries and injections.

Leaving the camp

On 24 July, Tzolakis departed Olympiacos' pre-season base in the Netherlands and returned to Athens. Karapapas explained that the player had refused to feature in any friendly matches, including a scheduled fixture against Nijmegen, to avoid risking injury before the transfer. The club chose to facilitate his return so he could finalise the move, since he would not have played anyway.

We know when he is sick, what his complaints are, when he is injured, when he is in pain, when he takes an injection to play. So we certainly care much more about him than other people do. Last year and the year before, Konstantis had expressed his desire to play in a big league. In the Premier League, Spain, Italy. We made it clear that this would happen at the right time. He felt that now is the right time to go to the Premier League. There is a proposal that you all know about. There is no agreement, but Konstantis was completely out of the team, as you saw. He didn't want to play in friendlies or anywhere else. So we facilitated him and he returned to Athens to complete the transfer framework, since he wouldn't play against Nijmegen anyway.

Filling the void

Karapapas confirmed that Olympiacos will sign a new goalkeeper to compete for the number one jersey, but he refused to label any incoming player as the automatic starter. He noted that current goalkeeper Popovic is in good condition and that the pitch will determine who plays. The club has already started the process of identifying a replacement, aiming to move quickly. Reports in Greece suggest the club is targeting a high-calibre keeper to fill the gap left by Tzolakis.

What happens next

Tzolakis is expected to travel to Kingston upon Hull in the coming days to undergo a medical and sign the contract. The transfer will see the Greek international become the latest addition to a Hull side preparing for its debut top-flight campaign. The move ends a nine-year association with the Piraeus club, during which he rose from the academy to become a key figure in their European success.