‘Slowly, slowly the sour grape becomes honey’, according to a traditional Greek proverb.
For West Ham United’s new signing Konstantinos Mavropanos, the taste of Premier League football will surely be sweeter second time around.
The Greece international initially moved to England with Arsenal just a month past his 20th birthday, in January 2018. He made a positive impression on his debut against Manchester United three months later, but made just eight appearances across two years with the Gunners before being loaned to German club 1. FC Nürnberg.
There, and later during a further loan spell and following his permanent transfer to VfB Stuttgart, Mavropanos grew as a player and a person into one of the most impressive centre-backs in the Bundesliga.
Not only can the Athens-born player defend strongly, but he is also a technician capable both of building attacks with his passing and scoring spectacular goals with his powerful long-range shooting.
Now a regular for his national team as they bid to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, the 25-year-old – known to his family, friends and teammates as ‘Dinos’ – is back in London and ready to show his quality all over the pitch in a Claret and Blue shirt.
Welcome to West Ham United, Dinos! How does it feel to be here?
“I am really happy and excited to be here and to be back in the Premier League with West Ham United.”
You were spotted at our Premier League derby win over Chelsea on Sunday, so what did you make of the performance and the atmosphere?
“The atmosphere was amazing, the fans were outstanding and the result was really good for the team. It was amazing to be there and I cannot wait to be on the pitch to live this. I was lucky enough to watch this game as my first game and it was a big win, so I’m looking forward to being on the pitch.”
Going back to the start, you left home in Athens at the age of 18 to join PAS Giannina in Ioannina, so you made a big sacrifice for your career?
“Yeah, but when you follow your dream, I don't think that you have many choices. I do what I love and that’s why I made it. I moved first to PAS and I was really happy to go there and be a professional, and start to get better and improve myself so I can get to the level that I am right now.”
And when you were young, we know the passion of the football fans in Athens and it's three big clubs AEK, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, so who did you support as a boy?
“I didn’t have anyone that I can say that I was I was supporting at the time, but I loved to watch football even when I was a young age. I tried to go to many stadiums to watch games live.”
Who did you pretend to be on the pitch when you were a kid?
“I didn't try to be like someone but I was watching and I liked Paolo Maldini at the time, for example, and in modern football I think Sergio Ramos is one of them I admire, but I always tried to be myself on the pitch.”
You’ve come from Stuttgart, so for anybody who isn’t familiar with your style of play, how would you describe yourself?
“I can say I am a team player, so I try to help the team directly and I like to defend all the time, as I’m a defender!”
You led the Bundesliga in interceptions made last season. What’s the secret of your ability to prevent passes reaching their target? Anticipation? Positioning? Desire?
“I tried to work well for the team, because the philosophy of the team is different in everything, so after all I try to give my best to defend the goal first of all and then if we can do something offensively that would be great.”
You’re a defender, but we’ve seen a video posted by the Bundesliga of ‘Mavropanos goals and skills’ and the goals you’ve scored for Stuttgart were unbelievable!
“I’ve scored a couple of nice goals, I can say! But my main job is to defend the goal.”
You’re also 6’4 and can score with your head, so are you looking forward to linking up with James Ward-Prowse?
“He’s a great player, first of all, and the calmness he has on the pitch is crazy. I’m looking forward to having some combinations with him.”
What has changed for you as a player and as a person in the three-and-a-half years since you left England for Germany?
“I went through many stages and I had to go to Germany which was really good for me and my career, because it helped me to grow as a player and gain more confidence and get better as well, so it was really good to be there. Since I was with Stuttgart, I really worked with myself to get better and improve. I was playing many games there and I gained a lot of confidence and I'm ready for the step again.”
Has the standard of the Premier League gone up in that time, too?
“It was always in a high level. I think it’s the best league in the world and that says it all, really.”
You will be the first Greece international to play for West Ham, so are you looking forward to seeing Greek supporters and flags in the stands at London Stadium?
“That would be really nice for me! To see some Greek fans here and some Greek flags would be amazing, so I’m looking forward to meeting some of them.”
It’s 20 years since Greece won UEFA Euro 2004, which was such a famous achievement. You’d have been six when that happened, so can you remember it? And did it have a big impact on young players in Greece?
“I can remember the celebrations in the streets after the goal in the final against Portugal [scored by Angelos Charisteas]. Everyone was outside and celebrating like it was a movie! Since then, many good Greek players went all around the world to play football and this gave a lot of incentive to young guys to get into this sport and give them passion for it.”
There are two other Greece internationals in the Premier League – George Baldock at Sheffield United and Kostas Tsimikas at Liverpool – and you could face both of them in September!
“They are great players and great characters and we have a really good relationship, so I’m looking forward to playing against them and beating them. Every game is important and I want to win them!”
Your home debut could be against a player you also know very well, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who you have faced three times playing for Borussia Dortmund and Norway but, without trying to tempt fate, has yet to score against you!
“Yeah, I played against him a couple of times and of course he's an amazing player but as I always say we will try to give our best to stop him. It was good [to have the challenge of stopping him]. I think most of the games he didn't score, yeah? Every game is different though, anything can happen in football.”
You played once in the UEFA Europa League for Arsenal, away to Standard Liège in December 2019, so are you looking forward to playing in the competition again for West Ham this season?
“For sure! I think it’s a good challenge to play outside of England and see what you can do against teams from different countries, so I’m looking forward to it, for sure.”
You have done a photoshoot in the new Umbro 2023/24 kit, so what did you make of them?
“I guess I like all of them, but the white [Away kit] I think was the nicest!”
Have you a final message to the Claret and Blue Army?
“I'm going give my all, everything I have, to perform at the stadium on the pitch and give happiness to you.”
