Sani Becirovic, sports director of Panathinaikos revealed who was in the race for the bench of the Athens team.
During this summer, Panathinaikos has stepped up on all fronts. In addition to the playing staff, there were changes in the administration.
Among them is Sani Becirovic, the new sports director. The Slovenian revealed to “Sport Klub” how the process of recruiting Ergin Ataman went and who was in the game to become the new coach of the Greek club.
“I was involved in the process even though I was not officially a member of the board. The club had two names in circulation. They were Ergin Ataman and Pablo Lasso. We quickly decide that Ataman is a better solution”, concluded Becirovic and added:
“I have nothing but respect for both, but Ataman’s phenomenal energy tipped the scales in his favor. Also, we know what situation Efes was in, so they became back-to-back winners of the Euroleague,” concluded the former Slovenian national team member.
During the summer, Panathinaikos brought in 11 players. Among those names are players like Matthias Lessort, Luca Vildoza, Aleksander Balcerowski, Juancho Hernangomez, and Kostas Sloukas. The Slovenian revealed that this is not the end of reinforcements:
“We are not done yet. We have big goals and resources. If there is a chance to bring another big name that will strengthen the team, we will certainly do it”, said Becirovic at the end.