Basinas back home with AEK

Greece captain Angelos Basinas has joined UEFA Cup contenders AEK Athens FC on a free transfer after leaving RCD Mallorca.

'Expectations'
The 32-year-old defensive midfielder has signed a three-year contract. "All's well that ends well," he said. "Along with my new team-mates we will try to achieve the club's goals, which are always high. I hope I will live up to the expectations of the board and the head coach, whose attitude won me over from the first moment." Basinas started his career at Panathinaikos FC, scoring 27 goals in 199 league games over ten-and-a-half seasons for the Greens before moving to Spain in January 2006 and making 75 league appearances for Mallorca. A European champion in 2004, he has scored seven goals in 91 internationals for Greece and skippered Otto Rehhagel's side in their ill-fated UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign.

UEFA Cup draw
AEK are in Austria preparing for some pre-season friendly fixtures and Basinas is expected to link up with his new club-mates there on Friday as coach Georgios Donis awaits the outcome of the draw for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in Nyon, Switzerland. Their domestic season starts on 31 August with a derby against Basinas's old side, Panathinaikos, at the Olympic Stadium.