Atlanta United sign Greek striker Jakumakis from Celtics

2023-02-09 11:55

Atlanta United sign Greek striker Jakumakis from Celtics


Atlanta United bolstered their front line with the signing of Greek striker Giorgos Jakumakis on Wednesday.


Jakumakis , 28, came to MLS from Celtic, where he led the Scottish Premier League with the most goals and helped them win the league title and the Scottish Cup.


Jakumakis will occupy the designated player and international roster spots, essentially replacing Martinez after the team's all-time leading scorer was sacked by United and signed by Inter Miami.


The signing ends a weeks-long quest for Jakumakis, which included reports of him heading to a Japanese team.


Finally, Atlanta got a much-needed player to bolster a front line that is lacking offensively with just 2 1/2 weeks until the season opener.


"Jakumarkis is a player who has been on the club's radar for some time and we are delighted to bring him to Atalanta," technical director Carlos Manuel Bocanegra said in a statement. "He's a strong striker who likes to get into the box and score goals. He plays with a lot of intensity, works hard and we think he'll help the team both offensively and defensively."


Atlanta United sign Greek striker Jakumakis from Celtics

achievements and records


After United joined Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 2017, Martinez became the face of the Atlanta side.


He set a league scoring record and won MVP honors the following year, leading Manchester United to the MLS Cup . Martinez scored 111 goals in 158 appearances for Atalanta in all competitions.


But the striker never returned to full-bodied form after a serious knee injury in the 2020 opener sidelined him for the rest of the season. A row with coach Gonzalo Pineda effectively ended his time in Atlanta, prompting the team to buy out his contract so he could sign with Miami.


Jakumakis is the top scorer in the Scottish league with 13 goals in the 2021-22 season. He has scored 6 goals in 19 appearances for Celtic this season, leading the standings again.


He scored 26 goals in 57 appearances for the Scottish giants in all competitions .


After starting his career in his home country, Jakumakis moved to VVV-Venlo in the Eredivisie in 2020.


His breakout year in the Dutch top flight led the league with 26 goals in 30 appearances, leading him to Celtic the following year.


Atlanta United, which failed to make the playoffs last season, will host San Jose on September 25 to kick off their MLS journey.