It is worth negotiating new agreements now.
At the end of the season, a number of well-known RPL players will end their contracts. Some of them will be in the status of a free agent and will look for a new team, while the clubs will try their best to keep them in their ranks.
We will focus only on the most prominent people. It is curious that among all the teams, only Spartak does not have players with expiring contracts.
Lokomotiv: Dziuba has already earned a new fat contract
- Artem Dzyuba (forward, 34 years old)
- François Camano (forward, 26 years old)
- Ivan Ignatiev (forward, 24 years old)
- Dmitry Zhivoglyadov (defender, 28 years old)
- Igor Smolnikov (defender, 34 years old)
The main joker of this spring returned to the Russian championship in a royal way. A long search for a team last summer, preparation for the season in Kazan, an unsuccessful trip to Turkey and desperate attempts to find a job in the winter – after this, many were quick to write off the best scorer in the history of the Russian championships (152 goals). They didn’t even want to take him to Pari NN, and Torpedo hinted that for a start it would be nice to go through the screening.
When few people believe in Artem Dziuba, he turns into a beast. So it was at one time in Tom, Rostov and Tula Arsenal. Thanks to the frenzied motivation of the 34-year-old striker, Lokomotiv got a top forward who is ready to prove his toughness with the enthusiasm of a green kid.
In the very first game after the return of Dziuba, he got high, scoring a hat-trick against Rostov in front of Karpin, and then he began to churn out effective actions in almost every game. It took him only six matches to become the leader of the team in the “goal + pass” system (6 + 4). For comparison, Anton Miranchuk (6+3), who is now in second place, played 22 games. In Orenburg, Dziuba scored an assistant hat-trick, confirming his ability to be useful not only as a finisher of attacks. Over the past tours after the restart of the season, there was simply no player in the league comparable to the ex-captain of the national team in terms of efficiency.
In winter, Dziuba came to Loko on extremely modest terms and received a contract for only a few months. In 2022, its shares fell sharply, appetites had to be moderated. The sports director of the club, Dmitry Ulyanov, confirmed that Artem’s monthly salary varies in the region of 2.5-4 million rubles.
– Artyom’s salary is less than that of 90% of Lokomotiv’s main players. Everything else is written in bonuses for goals, for maintaining a place in the RPL, and so on, said one of the team bosses.
Dziuba proved at the beginning of spring that in the realities of today’s Premier League he is still a top player. If Lokomotiv wants to keep it, it is necessary to re-sign the contract on improved terms right now. Only now the conditions will be dictated by the player himself and insist on a two-year contract with a salary in the region of 1.5-2 million euros – a completely adequate request, given the level of his game and the capabilities of Lokomotiv.
It is expected that negotiations on a new contract will begin in the coming days, although Dziuba himself, after the match with CSKA, said that so far no one has approached him with an offer at the club. The leadership should hurry, because other hunters may appear on such a Dziuba.
But the other two strikers of the team are much less likely to stay. Ivan Ignatiev, unlike Dziuba, failed to take full advantage of the opportunity to restart his career. In addition to a hat-trick against Orenburg, at the beginning of the season, there is nothing much to remember. In the spring, Galaktionov rarely uses him – only three substitutions. Francois Camano plays more often, but there is not as much benefit from him as from Dziuba. The money saved on the contract of the Guinean can just be spent on the new salary of the Russian.
It is unlikely that the full-backs, Zhivoglyadov and Smolnikov, will remain in the team. The head coach does not like both of them very much, preferring to release Maxim Nenakhov in this position. The defensive midfielder Daniil Kulikov plays a little this season (6 matches in reserve in the spring), who made his debut under Semin and opened up under Nikolic. In this situation, already this summer, the pupil of the club will have to look for a new team.
CSKA: Keep Moises and say goodbye to veterans
- Moises (defender, 28)
- Georgy Shchennikov (defender, 31 years old)
- Kirill Nababkin (defender, 36 years old)
Photo: © Denis Bushkovsky / Match TV
Brazilian Moises is in good standing with Vladimir Fedotov. A powerful defender, capable of playing on the flank and in the center of defense, he started in all spring matches of the championship and the Russian Cup. He missed the last game with Loko only because of the birth of his daughter.
In the summer, he was loaned from Internacional for one season. CSKA has a priority right to buy a player whose transfer price is in the region of 3-4 million euros. According to Moises’ agent, the Brazilian wants to stay at the Moscow club, but everything will depend on the offer that CSKA will make. At one time, a similar story was with Bekao, which became the opening of the 2018/19 season. Then the army team failed to keep the rented defender, and he left for Italy.
Everything goes to the fact that Georgy Shchennikov’s career in CSKA will end in the summer. This season, one of the veterans of the team (he made his debut 14 years ago) has played only two matches in the championship. The defender is often tormented by injuries, and in his position the head coach prefers to use Zainutdinov or Medina. In this scenario, the proposal for a new contract is not to be expected.
The older Kirill Nababkin plays much more often, but the veteran will turn 37 this year. Usually, CSKA negotiates new contracts with honored players at the very end of the season. So it was with Nababkin a year ago, when he was given a one-year contract. To repeat history, several factors must coincide at once: Kirill will find strength in himself for another season, Fedotov will confirm that he is counting on the player, and management will not offend him with money.
Zenit: Kuzyaev wants to go to Europe again, Mantouan hopes to stay
- Daler Kuzyaev (midfielder, 30 years old)
- Gustavo Mantua (forward, 21)
- Mikhail Kerzhakov (goalkeeper, 36 years old)
Photo: © Mikhail Zimin / Match TV
Three years ago, Daler Kuzyaev refused to re-sign a contract with Zenit and tried to find happiness in Europe. Many options were worked out – from Valencia and Alaves to Rennes and Freiburg. After spending several months on fruitless negotiations, Daler nevertheless returned to St. Petersburg, but the dream of a foreign championship has not disappeared so far.
Sergei Semak confirms that in the summer Kuzyaev will again wait for an offer from a European club. So far, everything is at the level of rumors: they are talking about interest from France, Portugal and Turkey, but the specifics are still very far away. It should not be ruled out that the history of 2020 will repeat itself: without waiting for a good option, Kuzyaev will remain at Zenit. The club liberally looks at the throwing of the player – he is very important for Semak.
Brazilian winger Mantouan has much less value for the team. The 21-year-old was part of a deal to sign Youri Alberto to Corinthians last summer.
The agents did not want to spoil relations with Zenit and instead of the main forward they wrote out consolation bonuses in the form of Ivan and Mantua. It looked as if instead of a top-end smartphone, they slipped a charger and a case. And yet, Mantua was not completely useless, although he appeared in the starting lineup only once. He brought victory in an important game with CSKA with a beautiful blow, and scored four goals in total for Zenit.
Mantuan himself does not want to go anywhere, but for this, Zenit needs to buy out his transfer. The issue price is 3-4 million euros. Team coach William Oliveira believes that Mantua will play for St. Petersburg next season:
– It is highly likely that Mantua will remain at the club after this season. He is a good football player. Gustavo is a young and talented player. He has been a great asset to our team. He scored very important goals in very important matches. But it’s up to the club to decide if there is a desire to keep him,” Oliveira said in an interview with Sport Day by Day.
The experienced Mikhail Kerzhakov started this season as a substitute goalkeeper, but after Daniil Odoevsky was sent off in Grozny, he returned to the frame and did not give up his place to a young competitor. Kerzhakov has been playing for Zenit for six years, and all this time there have been rumors about the search for another goalkeeper by St. Petersburg residents. It is known that the club has been courting Matvey Safonov for a long time, but Sergey Galitsky does not want to let him go within the framework of the RPL for any money. Last year, Zenit extended Kerzhakov a few days after the end of the season. The same development of events is worth waiting for now.
Krasnodar wants to keep Ionov, Bikfalvi is loyal to Ural
Of the remaining players with an expiring contract, several characters deserve special mention.
The most tense situation is in Ural, where 16 players at once do not have contracts for next season. Including the main star of the team, Eric Bikfalvi. True, his case is special – in the current agreement there is a clause on automatic renewal by mutual agreement. The Romanian legionnaire turned 35 not so long ago, but he is still fine. Club President Grigory Ivanov does not want to let Bikfalvi go, and the player himself is not eager to go anywhere. A simple fact speaks of the player’s devotion to Ural: last summer, several European clubs were ready to give the midfielder a contract if he suspended the agreement with the Russian club under the new FIFA rule. Bicfalvi flatly refused, and Ivanov did not forget this.
Highly appreciates the services to the club and the president of Krasnodar. Sergei Galitsky is ready to give a new contract to Alexei Ionov. It makes no sense for the player himself to look for a better fate: now he plays regularly, he is highly valued and definitely will not be offended by money. It is not a fact that the old-timer of the team, Sergei Petrov, who has been playing for the Bulls for more than 10 years, will also be lucky. There is an alternative to his position in the person of 20-year-old Sergey Volkov, who also does not have a contract for the 2023/24 season. Usually management in such cases makes a choice in favor of a younger and more promising one.
In “Rostov” a new contract has not yet been offered to the second scorer of the team, Dmitry Poloz (8 goals). The striker was asked about the contract in the autumn, the question was repeated in the spring, but the result was the same: Poloz spoke about the lack of negotiations with the club. According to the rules, Poloz can contact other teams with peace of mind six months before the end of the current agreement. If Rostov does not accelerate, there is every chance of losing one of the leaders for free.
