League : The transfer window in Europe has closed, but Russian clubs continue to shuffle squads. The main feature of this winter is the massive transitions of forwards. Changes in the line of attack in the winter transfer window have already affected nine RPL clubs, and this is not the limit. “MK-Sport” tells the details.
This winter, some amazing things are happening in the RPL. Often the transfer window during the season is used by clubs for redecoration. Only the leaders of the standings that have escaped from oblivion are seriously strengthening (“Spartak” in the 2016/17 season so took Alexander Samedov, Georgy Jikia and Luis Adriano , and “Zenith” two years later – Yaroslav Rakitsky, Vilmar Barrios and Serdar Azmun ) and outsiders, who need to save the day. Both those and others are looking for reinforcements for a specific short-term task.
This time there is some incredible migration of attackers. One way or another, significant changes in this line concern more than half of the clubs in the league: Zenit, Dynamo, CSKA, Krasnodar, Lokomotiv, Krylia Sovetov, Spartak, Rubin and Arsenal. A series of transitions, promising to significantly change the attack in several teams at once, lined up in a chain that was provoked by a revolution in the camp of the railway workers and the search for a replacement for Artem Dziuba among the champions.
“ZENITH”
Autumn attack: Dziuba, Azmun
Attack in the spring: Dzyuba, Sergeev, Alberto
Pitertsy have started the change of generations planned for the summer in advance, having launched a whole chain of transfers. Artem Dziuba does not fit the new model of Sergei Semak , tied to speed and movement, and Serdar Azmun has long wanted to realize himself in Europe. Therefore, the club took care in advance and agreed on Ivan Sergeev from the Wings of the Soviets. He was given time to adapt to the new team by the start of next season.
For Alberto , the situation is different. He was supposed to arrive only in the summer, but Azmun’s tricks with the signing of a contract with Bayer provoked an instant reaction – the Iranian was sent to Germany ahead of schedule, and the Brazilian was forced to cross.
Thus, the Azmun-Dzyuba pair, which was supposed to finish the season with the support of Sergeyev, fell apart, and Alberto comes to the fore, for whom, according to various sources, 20-24 million euros were paid.
“WINGS OF SOVIETS”
Offensive in autumn: Sergeev, Sarveli, Kanunnikov (did not play due to injury)
Attack in the spring: Sarveli, Kanunnikov, I. Ignatiev
A cool autumn performed by the Samara team led to a significant increase in the interest of big clubs – Sergeev went to Zenit, and Danil Prutsev to Spartak. The loss of the main striker along with Vladislav Sarveli demanded decisive measures from the Wings, and they decided to rent Ivan Ignatiev from Rubin.
Ignatiev has long ceased to resemble the striker who shone in Krasnodar. This season, he idle spent only 244 minutes on the field. And this despite the fact that the main scorer of Kazan last season, George Despotovic , missed several games due to injury. However, in Samara, Maxim Kanunnikov has been injured for a long time, and coach Igor Osinkin plays two forwards, so Ignatiev should have a lot of game practice.
“RUBY”
Autumn attack: I. Ignatiev, Despotovich, Onugha
Spring Attack: Onugha, Lisakovich
As mentioned above, Ignatiev did not play against Leonid Slutsky , and Despotovich not only missed a lot, but also lost his mental balance. The narcissistic Serb, confident that the class corresponds to Real Madrid, began to behave strangely, quarreled with the coach and was exiled to the reserve. Later, he agreed to terminate the contract and leave for Tula, giving out, together with his girlfriend Sonya Alender , a strange stream in parting with criticism of the capital of Tatarstan (“Kazan is a negative city”) and hints that he was treated badly (“Each of my scars is not from enemy, but from people who said they loved me…”).
In exchange, Rubin signed an interesting Belarusian striker of Lokomotiv Vitaly Lisakovich , who was little trusted in Moscow. Slutsky is completely satisfied with the changes.
ARSENAL
Attack in autumn: Lutsenko, Panchenko, Markov
Attack in the spring: Lutsenko, Panchenko, Markov, Despotovich
The Serb will become the fourth striker of Tula, and for sure they will send someone on loan, thus continuing the chain started by Zenit. Most likely, Kirill Panchenko will leave , having spent only 145 minutes in the RPL.
LOCOMOTIVE
Autumn attack: Smolov, Lisakovich, Ze Luis
Attack in the spring: Kukhta, Isidore
Thomas Zorn decided on a total renewal of the offensive line, regardless of Zenit, but also took part in a running chain (Lisakovich in Rubin) and even continued it ( Fedor Smolov in Dynamo). The railroad workers did not believe in the Belarusian, Smolov seemed to them too old and highly paid, and Ze Luis was generally withdrawn in the first part of the season due to injury and enumeration of foreigners.
All three left in the winter, and in their place, from behind a hillock, Zorn wrote out 25-year-old Jan Kukhta (9 goals in 16 matches of the Czech championship) and 21-year-old Monaco reserve Wilson Isidore . Probably the main goal was to find promising players for further resale and save on salaries, because the transfer balance of these deals is depressing – “minus 7.2 million” euros.
” DYNAMO”
Autumn Attack: Tyukavin, Grulev
Attack in the spring: Tyukavin, Grulev, Smolov
If at the heart of the main pursuers of “Zenith” there was not a strong enough position, then in the center of the attack. The blue and white gladly closed it with Smolov, who chose between Moscow and the United States. They managed to persuade him, although he lost significantly in salary – 1.5 million a year with all bonuses instead of 3 million.
CSKA
Autumn attack: Zabolotny, Chalov
Spring Attack: Zabolotny
CSKA can also join this chain. In January, it was reported that they were interested in Despotovic. While his transfer to Tula was not officially announced, there was a chance that he would show up in Vatutinki. This will not happen anymore, but it’s worth waiting for news from the red-blues: it’s unlikely that the club would have let Fyodor Chalov go to Basel if he hadn’t been replaced, because Anton Zabolotny alone won’t drag the team into the Champions League.
In the story with Chalov, it is interesting that he himself came to Switzerland, because Basel sold the main striker Artur Cabral to Fiorentina, and the violets needed him in connection with the departure of the main scorer Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus . This is how European top transfers become part of the chain of domestic Russian transfers.
“SPARTAK”
Autumn attack: Sobolev, Larsson, Ponce
Attack in the spring: Sobolev, Larsson, Nicholson
Only Spartak and Krasnodar are definitely not involved in this chain of transfers. Red-white exchanged one legionnaire for another. Argentine Ezequiel Ponce , who missed a lot due to injury , left to get in shape at Elche (loan), and the best Jamaican football player Shamar Nicholson came to his place from Charleroi for 8 million (13 goals in 18 matches of the Belgian championship). He will be the main competitor to Alexander Sobolev , while we will see Jordan Larsson mainly on the flank of the attack.
“KRASNODAR”
Autumn Attack: Cordoba, Ilyin
Spring Attack: Ilyin, Botheim
Summer rookie John Cordoba fit in perfectly with the team (5 goals in 6 starting matches of the RPL), but was seriously injured and dropped out for the rest of the season. Krasnodar has already withdrawn him from the championship and bought a friend of Erling Holland , 22-year-old Eric Botheim , in Norway for 5 million . Obviously, he will become the main striker of the team in the spring, and Vladimir Ilyin will continue to play the role of understudy.
Follow us on Google News Asia Times Now page for faster updates.