George Baldock is Panathinaikos’ new transfer ahead of the summer. That’s what the 31-year-old right back can give Glover.
Although this season is not yet over, Panathinaikos continues to plan for next season. After signing Nemanja Maksimovic in January, the Greens have reached a verbal agreement with George Baldak.
The 31-year-old right-back’s contract expires next summer and Trefoil jumped at the opportunity. Panathinaikos has had Baltak under its microscope for a long time and has been very “quiet” and out of the public eye after learning that another Greek group was interested in its takeover.
Thus, greens go to the third Greek combination International footballer after Tassos Pagasetas and Giorgos Limnios.
His experience and performances in England
Panathinaikos is betting big on the 31-year-old right-back’s performances. Baldock has eaten English pitches with a spoon. He competed from the lower divisions up to the tough Championship and certainly the Premier League. The Sheffield United shirt has been honored with more than that, with 219 appearances and six goals.
He has also played for Milton Keynes Dons and Oxford United. In other words, he is a football player, who grew up in English fields, so he can withstand high speed and high load. The ability is particularly useful in the Stoiximan Super League, where speed is significantly less.
Baldock stands out for his tolerance and the Greens want to capitalize on that. In fact, in the 2019/2020 season he was first in minutes played in the entire Premier League. In fact, he played for 3,420′.
The 31-year-old right-back is also known from the Championship. Not in the Premier League where he’s fighting to stay in a Sheffield United jersey (he hasn’t done that this year), but in the Championship. Baldock was instrumental in two of the Blades’ top-flight promotions, while in 21/22 they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the play-offs by Nottingham Forest.
In other words, Baldock knows how to compete under the pressure of a result, especially in a league as tough and demanding as English football’s second division.
When he marked Mbappe
Baldak will be competing for a Greek team for the first time, though it won’t be his first time interacting with Greek reality. The 31-year-old right-back has made 12 appearances for the national team and will make his Nations League debut in June 2022.
One of his best nights was last summer. The national team stood up against France at the Stade de France and eventually needed a penalty to lose 1-0 to Les Bleus. Baldach had a difficult task dealing with Kylian Mbappe at his side.
“I’ll do better” He declared to SPORT24 before the match and he deservedly won. He was one of the leaders of the national team in this sport. In fact, he had the highest rating from Sofascore among Greece’s footballers.
In that game he had 58 actions, excellent passing accuracy (23/28), 2/3 drops, won almost all of his duels, winning seven of eight. All these are trying to control Mbappé.
Baldak is fascinated by challenges and big games. After all, he has experienced it against better opponents in the Premier League. “As a young footballer, growing up you want to play in these games, test yourself against the best players in the world.” He complained to SPORT24.
This is how he played at Sheffield United this year
It hasn’t been an easy year for Sheffield United. Knives are last, and are mathematically relegated. It is true that George Baldock has reduced participation time compared to previous years.
Baldock has played 13 games, which translates to 969 games. In fact, as the Sheffield coach said at the beginning of April, he has not played during the matches because he is suffering from an injury.
This year, in addition to the right back position, he was also used as a central defender in a back three. He performs 41 actions per 90 minutes, his active area extends the entire length of the right side, while he is also active in his team’s area (if he also plays as a stopper).
He has 26.9 completed transfers and 73.3% accuracy per 90 minutes. He’s usually a player who steps up the pitch on multiple occasions, however this year he seems to have regressed a lot. After all, Sheffield are under pressure from the opposition.
In the blocking zone he averages 1.4 tackles and 0.8 steals per game. He has 3.4 possession recoveries and 2.3 ball clearances per 90 minutes. Additionally, he has won 49% of his fights this year.
In conclusion, Baldak is a footballer with a thirst for rich performance and challenges at the highest level. Apart from the right-back position, he has also played as a tackler in the triangle this year, adding to the length of his side depending on the situation, his blocking qualities and his ability to help in the build-up.
