Jean Makoun was greeted by hundreds of fans outside the club’s offices, whereas the President of Olympiacos FC welcomed the player himself and stated: “I welcome Jean Makoun to the family of Olympiacos. He is a player of extensive experience and quality both in National championships, as well as in the UEFA Champions League, while being an active member of the Cameroon national football team. He is coming to Greece and to Olympiacos at his most productive stage of his career. I wish him health and may he adapt to the family of Olympiacos, the soonest possible.”
“On my part, I have fulfilled all my promises from the day I took over Olympiacos. Despite the climate of uncertainty that prevails in football, an issue to be discussed in the next press conference, I invest in players like Jean to further enrich our team’s roster, win the championship once again, which is our primary goal, and to make the best possible campaign in the UEFA Champions League” said Mr Marinakis and continued: “I was glad to see the supporters of Olympiacos outside and I hope that they will also come to the “G. Karaiskakis” stadium to watch our team play, and offer to all of us a great spectacle.”
To the question that he invests heavily despite the climate of uncertainty that prevails in Greek football, the President of Olympiacos, Mr Vaggelis Marinakis stated: “Today we are here for Makoun, the rest will be discussed at the press conference in the following days. I made a commitment to Olympiacos that our goal will be to win the championship fairly and that our team will play good football and perform well in Europe. Yet, we are here for Makoun and all your questions should be directed to him.”
On the other hand, the Cameroonian midfielder, who will be wearing number 77 said: “I thank the family of Olympiacos for doing their best to bring me to the team. I feel very well for the way I was welcomed to Greece. I’m here to help the team grow even more, being at the service of my coaches and the administration of Olympiacos. I’m very happy to be here and now it is time for hard work.”
To the question relating to the matches against Marseille and why he decided to join Olympiacos, Makoun stated: “I cannot say that the fact that Olympiacos will face Marseille is an advantage or a disadvantage. I know Marseille. It is a difficult group but all the teams have equal chances to make it to the Champions League top 16. As for my motives, the administration was very convincing and they showed me how much they wanted me. This bonded me with the club and so I decided to join the team with the aim to win the championship once again, and to perform well in the UEFA Champions League.”
For his European career, while in Lyon, Makoun said: “Two years ago we did very well and we even reached the semifinals, eliminating great teams like Real. I hope we can achieve similar things with Olympiacos.”
For the way he feels for being called the “new Karembeu”, Makoun stated: “I’m very happy for what I hear. I do not want to compare myself to him, as he was a great person, with a great career, who managed to offer all of his qualities to the team. This is exactly what I intend to do for Olympiacos.”
