A difficult period at the club.
They got rid of Shamar and Sobolev to bring in Zabolotny.
This is one of the strangest decisions of this summer. Nicholson couldn’t be tied to another team for long—at the same time, he didn’t fit into Abaskal’s plans, and Stankovich didn’t count on him. Sobolev also degraded and poisoned the atmosphere in the locker room—he was sent to Zenit. Both strikers are quite global and straightforward, such good backs. They finally managed to get rid of this guy when, in tandem with Barko, he played Ugalde—a brilliant station wagon who does a lot of work off the ball and plays well at the end.
But the “white-red” is stepping too stubbornly on the previous rake. With difficulty, they got rid of Sobolev and Shamara—now in the team Livay Garcia, a footballer of the same type. In addition, they signed Anton Zabolotny. Of course, he has his advantages: he’s a hardworking player who will work on the pitch. And so he excelled at Tosno, played in Sochi, and in CSKA I gave the main season. But this transfer is compounded by a clear feeling that Spartak is going in circles.
There is a risk of losing two key players before the start of the season.
And Zabolotny’s arrival is even more comical given the risk of losing two of the team’s leaders – the creators of the Muscovites’ autumn Overorgans: Manfred Ugalde and Esecel Barco. Based on the situation with Argentina, they wrote here. According to the latest reports, the midfielder had strained family relations: his wife gave him an ultimatum: either he returns to Latin America, or she would agree to a divorce and not allow him to see the child. Now, Flamengo claims Havbek.
As for Manfred, the Europeans took notice in the winter: Garcia was brought in from the calculation of his sale. Only Livay isn’t showing the game for the money spent, the Muscovites have re-entered the market, and Feyenoord is closely examining Ugalde. The Dutch side’s first offer was rejected – at the same time, the striker himself isn’t keen on returning to the Eredivisie, so a loss is likely. According to the latest information, Feyenoord is now offering €15 million.
In summary, the loss of a midfielder who forms part of the system is very likely, there is a real risk of missing out on the team’s top scorer – and even with Livay already in place, they will have to look for a striker again.
Tough negotiations with Marseille – the player refused, the Provençal blackmailed with a double
To strengthen the central axis, the “white-red” chose Azzedine Unhas from Marseille. The Moroccan national team player reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and has been playing for Marseille since January 2023. He spent last season on loan at Panatinakos. The deal then also moved with a squeak – negotiations dragged on for a month. The clubs agreed on a full transfer for €12 million. At the same time, Unahi himself rejected the move. Muscovites, according to rumors, first offered €1.8 million per year, then €2.5 million, but Azzeedin replied that he needed a more serious sporting appeal. It got to the point that Marseille transferred the midfielder on a double deal. The terms of the deal were quite lucrative, and the club had no other specific offer. Panatinaikos was willing to pay only €9 million. Now it all comes down to whether United will compromise. What kind of transfer window doesn’t matter – Spartak is looking for a player. The off-season is no exception, however, the search is not being promoted as actively. The strongest contender is Yasin Adley. The midfielder didn’t repair it at Milan and spent last season at Fiorentina – and there, incidentally, he showed himself well. In 26 matches last season, Yasin scored four goals and provided six assists – he fits perfectly into the “Violets”. Now, Muscovites have joined the negotiations. And it’s quite possible that this is working on the contract with Milan expiring next summer, so now is the last chance to make something on the player.Slowing down with contract extensions
Muscovites don’t just have many players with contracts until 2026 – about half of them, according to the Transfermarkt portal. Zabolotny was initially signed according to the “1+1” scheme, with many key players for the rotation: Mangash, Prutsev, Medina, Chernov, Khlusevich. The same situation applies to Ryabchuk, who regularly leaves early, and, even worse, several key players. Umyarov is a system-training Opornik for Stankovich; Martins opened in the spring; Maksimenko, Denisov, and Litvinov are an important part of the core, and even pupils. It has reached the point where a huge amount of work lies in the short segment of the season – during the season, it would be even more difficult to manage this. And it is the leadership that will be criticized if this leads to a discounted sale or even a gratuitous loss of key players.
Kahigao risks stepping on the same rake as his predecessors – but on a larger scale.
Tomash Amaral has been working as Spartak’s sporting director for a year. Since January, the position has been held by Francis Cahigao—and the club, as if all steps on the same rake. Once again, the “red and whites” are persisting in heated negotiations. Yes, both have a broad contact base, which, under optimal conditions, will contribute to strengthening it. But you have to consider the details—in the case of the clubs
Russian Premier League
RPL
There are many nuances: “allowance” for remuneration, difficulties with the transfer of funds, the need for guarantees or alternatives, the reluctance of the players themselves, the concerns of the clubs, etc., etc. What’s the point of negotiations with Or if Zenit couldn’t bring him in beforehand (even Stankovich understood this)? Why waste time and then talk – almost succeeded? Now, these candidates are Adley and Unahi.
So, if the Red-White exit is limited to the Zabolotnaya transfer and at the same time misses someone from the Barko-Ugalde pair, it will be a resounding failure.
Ugalde and Barko Source link
