On Friday, the press service of the French Paris Saint-Petersburg Germaine officially announced the transfer of goalkeeper of the Russian national team and Krasnodar Matvey Safonov. The most talked about transfer of the Russian transfer window has finally taken place, despite skepticism from the football public and rumors about the player's problems with the law.
According to media reports, the Parisian super club paid about 20 million euros for the transfer of the goalkeeper, which made Safonov’s transfer the most expensive goalkeeper purchase in the history of Ligue 1. In the French championship, Matvey will join his compatriots Alexander Golovin, who plays for Monaco, and Daler Kuzyaev, who plays for Le Havre.
Safonov is a graduate of Krasnodar, his debut for the main team took place in August 2017. In total, he played 175 matches for the club, keeping a clean sheet in 53 of them. “Au revoir, notre cher ami! We are proud of our guy and wish him great success in his future career! We believe in you, Matvey!” — this is how the Krasnodar club said goodbye to its pupil.
After Igor Akinfeev left the Russian national team, Safonov became the number one of the national team. He already has 14 matches in the national team's jersey. Matvey is used to being first everywhere, but at PSG he will face serious competition from the first goalkeeper of the Italian national team, Gianluigi Donnarumma. “It doesn’t matter, immediately or gradually, he can become the first. Yes, it will take time to adapt. But if they buy him for 20 million, it means they have an understanding of how he will be used and when,” said the head coach of the Russian team Valery Karpin . And the goalkeeping coach of the Russian national team, Vitaly Kafanov, expressed confidence that Safonov will quickly adapt to PSG: “We understand that you need patience to get higher. It takes time to adapt, especially since skilled players play there.” Donnarumma played more matches , but Matvey is talented, he will pass this period quickly.»
According to the head coach of the Italian national team Luciano Spalletti, if Donnarumma loses the competition to Safonov, he will simply change teams. «In my opinion, if Donnarumma is forced to leave PSG, he will find a stronger team. Therefore, I am not afraid that Donnarumma's level can fall so much,» the specialist said.
Safonov himself accepted the new challenge in his career with enthusiasm. «I am very happy to join Paris Saint-Germain, one of the biggest clubs in the world with its history and achievements. I can't wait to meet my new teammates, start defending my new colors and make the fans proud of me. Go ahead, Paris!» — the PSG website quotes the newcomer as saying.
As former goalkeeper of the Russian national team Ruslan Nigmatullin, who has extensive experience playing abroad, noted in a conversation with Safonov, it will not be easy for Safonov to win a place in goal. “But the competitor, in general, is not distinguished by such stable play. Therefore, Matvey will certainly have a chance to prove himself. His task is to adapt as quickly as possible, learn the language and become part of the team,” Nigmatullin noted.
«It's unclear how he left Russia» Probably, any major transfer is accompanied by a whole series of various problems. But in Safonov's case, it sometimes seemed that the transfer could fall through. In early June, a source reported that the footballer was restricted from leaving the Russian Federation due to a debt of 60 million rubles in alimony to his ex-wife. As lawyer Maxim Shilov, representing the interests of Safonov's ex-wife Anastasia, told the agency, the ban is indeed in effect, and the player also filed a police report against his ex-wife for stealing money. «Anastasia and her relatives believe this is an attempt by Matvey Evgenievich to put pressure on her in order to avoid paying alimony. Now, as far as I know, a criminal case has not been opened, an investigation is underway,» he noted.
Despite the hype, several media outlets immediately reported that PSG were initially aware of the above-mentioned nuances of Safonov's relationship with the law. The French club was determined to complete the transfer, which, in fact, was done. However, according to Shilov, there is still no solution to the alimony problem. «Anastasia never received the money as per the court decision. We do not know how exactly Safonov left the country,» the lawyer stated.
The hardest part is behind us, and Safonov is already in Paris. Matvey's main task will be to quickly adapt to the new environment and use his chances. However, the Russian cannot brush aside the alimony issue. The main thing is that the French media quickly get the opportunity to discuss Safonov's game, and not his personal life.