They will help each other.
One of the best first transfers this summer RPL Lokomotiv – “Railway Workers” published the problem with the position of the striker. The signing of Nikolai Komlichenko is a great step for the club.
Komlichenko already had experience at the top club
Nikolai developed as a solid striker, playing in the Czech championship for the Mlad Boleslav team. By the summer of 2020, Nicholas had already built up considerable interest – nevertheless, he was a football player with a Russian passport who could shoot RPLand at the same time was not particularly in demand among the top 5 European championships. But at the first attempt to gain a foothold at a new level, Komlichenko failed.
He spent two years at Dynamo – and he replenished the team’s composition at the time when the successful Schwartz project was born, and the club began to spend money on high-quality amplification. But then the Muscovites only entered this path, the team lacked experience – Nikolai had the same problem. As if the team and the football player hadn’t agreed at that moment.
Nikolai could not gain a foothold as a full-fledged leader of Muscovites. In the first season, for 11 matches in the Premier League, he was noted by three goals, the next season he already had 25 meetings, the statistics changed slightly. Four goals scored and two assists. What is the question, with a living center forward, Maximilian Philip, then Opornik profile Daniil Fomin, became the top scorer of the “blue and white”.
Karpin made him an excellent striker
Then Nikolai had to take a step back – Dynamo, in the first year without Komlichenko, joined the title fight and won bronze, and reached the Russian Cup final, while the striker was in the Rostov League. But this lease determined the striker’s further development.
During his first season, the player scored eight league goals and made three assists, the following year – another step forward. Komlichenko felt for chemistry with Utkin, who had only just joined the team – and became a Trump co-worker for the Southerners in someone else’s penalty (often awarded a penalty due to a specific manner of play). According to the results of the Premier League – 10 goals and six assists, he is the team’s top scorer.
To date, Komlichenko has managed to pass his prime, survive a decline, and compete with Golenkov. It’s clear that the striker isn’t the most consistent player – nothing has changed since his move to Rostov. But he contributes a lot to the team in terms of game structure and participation. Moreover, there are no matches against Orenburg in the fifth and twentieth rounds, against Dynamo in the 14th round, and against Spartak in the final of the Russian Cup regional championship. In each of these games, Komlichenko’s goals determined the outcome.
Lokomotiv isn’t shouting at the market and is counting on the Russians.
Lokomotiv made a pass when they signed Maxim Glashenkov and Sergey Pinyaev, but later it became clear why these players were “green.” It turned out that in modern realities, finding a high-quality legionnaire is quite problematic for “railway” players. There are much more risks that the deal will fall through, plus to attract foreigners and persuade clubs, you have to overestimate the price. Lokomotiv can’t afford that. The Muscovites focused on Russian football players – that’s how Lantratov, Tiknizyan, Timofeev, Saltykov, and Sevikyan appeared in the team, for the same reason, there was a place for Batrakov (Glashenkov didn’t replace the expensive legionnaire). Moreover, the youngsters were trusted – that’s how the farmers opened up (now they signed a long-term contract with the pupil). And the story with the forwards is fitting. When Artyom Dziuba hit the free agency market, Lokomotiv took him. Later, Timur Suleimanov was brought in as a pair to gain experience. When Dziuba left the team, Lokomotiv again favored the Russian, taking Dmitry Vorobyov from Orenburg.
Most likely, after numerous multi-million dollar mistakes by doctors—Bek Bek, Kerk, Mampassi, Kitta—Lokomotiv simply didn’t have the opportunity to splash the cash. And the Russian market is at least familiar to the club, given that Galaktionov previously managed the youth team. Moreover, Lokomotiv Chairman of the Board, Yuri Nagorny, has long been associated with Chertanovo and is therefore familiar with the domestic market.
They should help each other.
On paper, this is the perfect choice for both the club and the player himself. Nikolai cannot be called an elite striker, so it is unlikely that he will be able to open up at Zenit (although, for example, Spartak is ready to trust him). At the same time, Lokomotiv, due to the limitations described above, is unable to compete for an expensive striker who will score in packs. Therefore, the “Railroad” trusted Dziuba, Suleimanov, and Vorobyov during the era. Moreover, while initial expectations were fully met, Lokomotiv’s latest transfers have not fully met them. The ex-Orenburg coach has integrated well into the team, scoring 12 goals in 30 championship matches. But Timur has been lost on the bench and has shown a lackluster supply. Komlichenko left Dmitry not far behind, but he’s still a better acquisition. He has more experience at the required level (the Sparrows only reached the Russian Premier League in the 2020s), and he’s able to take on a broader role. Thus, the former Rostov player is more likely to fill Loko’s need for a high-quality striker.
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