Odysseas Vlachodimos off to a flying start away from Newcastle United after Eddie Howe snub

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Odysseas Vlachodimos has finally made his debut with Sevilla after leaving Newcastle United in the summer, and it was undoubtedly a performance to remember.

Joining as part of the Elliot Anderson deal with Nottingham Forest in 2024, there was very little hope of the Greek goalkeeper becoming a hit on Tyneside.

The reality was that Eddie Howe did not want Odysseas Vlachodimos and only brought him to the club due to lingering PSR concerns.

In his first season on Tyneside, Vlachodimos played just 45 minutes of football, a substitute appearance during a Carabao Cup clash against AFC Wimbledon. Still, it was enough for him to secure a winner’s medal in March.

During the summer transfer window, it was confirmed that Vlachodimos had joined Sevilla on loan for the 2025/26 season. It took a while, but Vlachodimos has finally made his debut, and he will be over the moon with how it has gone.

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Odysseas Vlachodimos hits the ground running in Sevilla debut

There was no option for Sevilla to buy Vlachodimos at the end of his loan, and reports stated that they were only paying a small percentage of his wages, making many wonder what the point of the deal even was.

Some will argue that it gives him the chance to prove his worth to his national team during a World Cup year and allows Howe to see if he is worth keeping around at the club for another season.

If his debut is anything to go by, then Vlachodimos could be a big success in Spain. The 31-year-old played all 90 minutes against Alaves, making four saves to help Sevilla secure a 2-1 win.

While he did concede, it was from the penalty spot, so he will surely not dwell on that for too long.

An impressive aspect of Vlachodimos’ game was his distribution. The goalkeeper completed nine of his 15 long ball attempts, something which would be very handy on Tyneside this season.

Odysseas Vlachodimos needed to leave Newcastle United for the good of his career

While it has not really worked out for him on Tyneside, his Newcastle career is not completely over yet. The chances of it happening are slim, but he still has the opportunity to fight for a place in the Magpies’ starting XI, especially if Howe decides against taking up Aaron Ramsdale’s loan option.

Vlachodimos turned down a loan move to Liga MX side Pumas for Sevilla, and it appears to have been the right choice after his debut. The Greek star wanted to stay in Europe if he were to leave Newcastle, a request he was granted.

PSR issues prevented Newcastle from selling Vlachodimos permanently. Reports suggest that Newcastle paid as much as £20m for the goalkeeper, a fee they had very little chance of making back after his lack of minutes.

In the meantime, Nick Pope has performed well for Newcastle this season, perhaps knowing that his place in the starting XI is up for grabs with Ramsdale looking on.