Arsen Zakharyan's departure to Spain is a joyful event both for the player himself, and for the entire Russian football. However, his native Dynamo, in addition to solid money, gets a headache. After all, it will be hard to replace a key player.
Arsen became an important element of the team from the first matches. Already at the age of 18, the midfielder began to constantly appear in the starting lineup. In the 2021/2022 season, Zakharyan shone in the RPL — 29 matches, seven goals and eight assists. The next championship draw turned out to be a little less productive (four goals scored and nine assists in 27 meetings). However, against the backdrop of the club's failed performance, he still stood out.
Dynamo entered the current season with a new coach and hopes. Marcel Lichka was supposed to return the team to the rails of attacking football. Zakharyan scored three goals in five matches. The team's most important player continues to score and create chances for teammates.
However, the continuation did not work. Arsen had only a year left on his contract. The midfielder was not going to renew it, and in Europe there was a whole queue for young talent. Lazio, Strasbourg, Genoa, Feyenoord, Ajax and PSV were on the hunt for Zakharyan, but Real Sociedad turned out to be the most persistent. The Russian will go to Spain, and Lichka will be left without a key attacking player.
Arsen was important not only because of the level, but also because of the style. Football, which puts the «white-blue» Czech coach, involves the saturation of the attacking players in the central zone and regular jerks behind the backs of the defenders. There are no problems with the last element, the only question is to deliver the ball to free space. Only Zakharyan could do this regularly and with high quality.
Tyukavin, Grulev, Ngamale and Gladyshev do not have the necessary passing skills and are more focused on jerking behind their backs. Makarov and Lesovoy are wingers with dribbling and shooting, they are generally not very suitable for Lichka football. Only Fedor Smolov remains, whom the Czech uses in the position «under the striker».
The forward is trying to create chances for partners, but he is not able to do this consistently. Smolov seriously lost in the speed of moving around the field and making decisions, for one good pass — three losses. With such a ratio, the team will not be able to regularly sharpen the game.
It would be possible to solve the problem with the help of newcomers, but Dynamo is not going well with transfers to the entrance. The saga with the transfer of Luis Chavez from the Mexican Pachuca has been going on for a month now. Dynamo still cannot transfer money so that the player buys the contract from the current club. And recently, the media reported that Chavez «disappointed in the Russian teams.» Even if the transition takes place, Zakharyan's position will remain open.
The only player in the attack group that Dynamo is interested in is Jorge Carrascal. The Colombian has lost his place in the squad and the trust of the CSKA coaching staff, so the club is actively offering to buy him for everyone. The management of the «white-blues» is considering the possibility of an acquisition, waiting for a price cut towards the end of the transfer window.
Unfortunately, in the situation with the transfer of Carrascal, not only the high price and bad character of the football player are embarrassing. The Colombian is closer in style to Makarov and Lesovoy than to Zakharyan. He is based on dribbling and is more focused on passing shots than passing. Signing could make life difficult for the coaching staff. Carrascal will not solve the problem of delivering the ball behind the backs of the defenders, but Lichka will have to release an expensive newcomer at the base who does not fit the team's style.
Dynamo entered the season well, but Zakharyan's departure becomes a serious challenge. Without Arsen, who always saw the movement of partners and quickly delivered the ball to free zones, the team's attack is stalled. The management cannot yet strengthen the roster with newcomers, Lichka will urgently have to solve this problem at the expense of internal resources. Both the fate of the coach and the entire season depend on the readiness to rebuild.