I don't think you are making it up. I believe he played on the wing in the first game he played and and i remember Backe complimenting his shooting ability. That said, he didn't get as much game time as others as you well pointed out, which was an early warning sign.I'm not sure why I thought this, but I was under the impression that Backe was going to use him on the left wing instead of as an out and out striker. Did he play there at all this preseason or am I just plain making stuff up? Figured maybe Backe planned on using him as a backup for Lindpere like he did with Da Luz last season, but if he's just going to be the 7th striker on the depth chart then he wouldn't make much of a difference.
It is possible that Lade's performance on the left has given them an option on the left, even in midfield in a pinch, that they didn't expect to have and lessened Giorgi's appeal.
He may have been used on the wing only because of the plethora of options up top when we had to split the squad due to the back to back games and he was never seriously considered for that position. Who knows.
And as i said, maybe he is still negotiating.