Aris head coach Alexei Shpilevsky told RB Sport about his desire to keep the Russian striker Alexander Kokorin in the team.

Kokorin is on loan at Aris, his main contract belongs to the Italian Fiorentina. In the match of the 20th round of the championship of Cyprus against Apollo (3: 1), Kokorin scored a double.

– Do you think that in this form, Alexander could help the top RPL clubs?

– I don’t know what level is in the Russian championship now and whether it is interesting for him to return there himself. It’s not for me to evaluate. I can say that personally I really want to keep him in the team. We give him support, he helps us, so it’s beneficial for both sides. I hope we will continue our cooperation for a long time.

– Do you want to sign a full-fledged contract with him, not a rental one?

– Oh sure. While we have it temporarily. But I wish he was here permanently.

– Do you think it would be useful to the Russian team?

– It’s not for me to judge. The coach of the national team should look at what options he has. I can only say that if Sasha is motivated and gives 100 percent, like yesterday, although he can do even better, then he is a 100 percent high-class football player. This is a superb player.

This season, Kokorin has played 15 matches for Aris and scored 7 goals.