Zenit announced the transfer of Maxim Glushenkov — midfielder «Lokomotiv» and the best assistant of the RPL last season. Why the Russian champions are ready to pay a lot of money for him — in the material Sports.
Why Zenit is so cheerful in the market In the first weeks of the summer off-season, Zenit, which has won the last six RPL championships, is the most active in the transfer market. There is an explanation for this. Even the most devoted fans of the St. Petersburg team agree that Semak’s team did not show championship football in the last season. Another thing is that Krasnodar and Dynamo Moscow did not have it, not to mention the capital clubs that did not participate in the championship race.
One of the biggest problems for the Zenit coaching staff was finding the optimal combination between foreign players and those who are not considered such. Even with the formula “8+3” I had to rack my brains. The positions of goalkeeper and right back were considered Russian vacancies, and then, with an overabundance of high-class foreign players, one had to choose whether to release Nuraly Alip, who is not considered a foreign player, in the starting lineup or give preference to Andrei Mostovoy.
The rest of the Russian football players, including even those who have recently or even now been called up to the national team, were on hand. Alexander Erokhin and Ivan Sergeev were used as rotation players, and Alexander Kovalenko, invited a year ago from Krylya Sovetov, sat in the reserves and has now been sent back on loan. Ilzat Akhmetov, who transferred from Krasnodar in the winter, also did not become a real strengthening.
Semak urgently needs fresh blood with Russian passports. As a last resort, with Belarusian or Kazakh ones. At the same time, for some reason, they do not rely on their students. In the winter, Danila Kozlov was released to Baltika, whom almost all the RPL tops are now chasing, and the midfielder himself does not want to return to Zenit to go to Rostov. Dmitry Vasiliev, who did not want to go on loan, seeing how Kozlov’s career is shaping up, is also unlikely to remain faithful to the Rostral columns on the bench.
The Glushenkov Factor Why Zenit needs Glushenkov, who last season was definitely one of the best midfielders in the RPL (although he was not invited to the national team in the summer), is, in principle, understandable. But why does Glushenkov need Zenit? Let’s try to figure it out.
Maxim's father, a former professional football player, saw his son as the continuer of the dynasty. He took me to the best football academies in the country. The last one was the capital's Chertanovo school. In the PFL team of the same name, where the best graduates were gathered, Maxim made his debut in professional football.
In January 2019, together with Nail Umyarov, he moved to Spartak Moscow. By the way, Glushenkov made his debut in the RPL in the match against Zenit. Only Maxim failed to gain a foothold in the “red-white” team under foreign coaches. He was loaned to Khimki and then to Krylia Sovetov. It was with Igor Osinkin in Samara that Glushenkov blossomed, after which he signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv. In the capital team, Maxim took another step forward. Perhaps not even one. Last season, he became the best assistant at the end of the season not only in the RPL, but in all leagues in the world. An impressive achievement!
Fans who do not support Zenit have a saying: “What cannot be bought for money can be bought for very big money. What cannot be bought for very big money can be bought for Gazprom’s money.” Moreover that not all the money raised from the sale of Malcolm to Saudi Arabia has been spent on the transfer market. Several times Zenit has improved its offers to both Lokomotiv and the footballer himself. According to insiders, over the course of four seasons (the contract will be signed according to the “scheme”). 4+1″), a recruit from the St. Petersburg club will be able to earn almost a billion rubles.
The network has already reacted with a meme in the form of a still from the film “The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia.” Remember when two Italian treasure hunters are traveling on a seated train from Moscow to Leningrad and ask a police officer played by Andrei Mironov: “Andryusha, do you want to make a billion?” The answer immediately follows: “Yes!”, sealed with champagne. Naturally, we were talking about a billion Italian lire. A billion rubles more. You just need to take into account that this amount includes bonuses for team and personal achievements, as well as the fact that it can be earned in four years.
And it is not a fact that Glushenkov will play for Zenit all this time. Knowing how the security service of the St. Petersburg club works, I am convinced that no insider will be able to find out the exact amount of compensation prescribed for leaving for a foreign or Russian club. At Lokomotiv, as the chairman of the board of directors Nagorny has repeatedly emphasized, there is now a salary ceiling of 7 million per month. Glushenkov, who was greatly needed by the Moscow club, was offered 120 million a year. Only Zenit offered twice as much, and even bonuses. Should we condemn a young football player who has a chance to become a billionaire?