Ataman arrived in Athens: “We built a great team at Panathinaikos”

The countdown is over, the season Ergin Ataman to Panathinaikos it starts!

The new coach of the “trefoil” set foot on Greek soil on Friday night (25/8) and is in Athena for the start of preparation ahead of the 2023/2024 season.

The “greens” welcomed the Turkish coach at the airport and on Tuesday (27/8) the first training session of the year is scheduled, where he will not be able to count on the players competing in the World Cupas well as Dino Mitoglou who will be absent from the first training sessions, because of the injury which put him out of the event.

Let’s remember that in the previous hours it became known that the first training session will be held without the crowd of Panathinaikosas it was canceled for security reasons, since the police informed that they cannot guarantee the safe guarding of both fields.



Yes, O Ergin Ataman he also made statements upon his arrival in Athens, stating, among other things, that: “with Giannakopoulos everything is possible». The statements of the Turkish coach in detail:

“It is a new challenge for me, just like for Panathinaikos after many years. I think we have made a great team and together we will fight for the big goals. The first goal for Panathinaikos and for me is the Final Four and from there everything is open. Certainly there are many teams with the same goal with very good rosters, but we also built our roster to fight. We are not afraid of anyone».

For the Greek league:

“We want to win the title and that’s what I’m here for. I want to change the situation of the last two years. Certainly, with great respect to Olympiakos, they have a very good team, but this year we will win the championship».

On the new roster and team chemistry:

“It’s not a big problem. We chose good players, not only for their names, but also in positions so that there is the necessary chemistry. Preparation is important. At the beginning we will have a problem since the internationals and the Nationals are absent, many important players are missing, but after the Mundobasket we will have 2-3 weeks for the start of the Euroleague. I believe we will be ready at the start».

On whether the roster is closed and if there is a chance of another transfer:

“With president Giannakopoulos, everything is possible! We will see the roster and how the preparation will develop. If there is a need, I will talk to the president but now we are fine, the team is perfect. I want to see the pre-season friendlies and training sessions. If a player is needed before the Euroleague starts, we will go on the market. This is not the time to think about transfers».