Pogrebnyak said that the possible departure of Malcolm is a loss not only for Zenit, but also for the RPL

Former Zenit football player Pavel Pogrebnyak believes that the possible departure of the Brazilian football player Malcolm will affect not only the level of play of the St. Petersburg club, but also the entire Russian Premier League (RPL).

Earlier, the media reported that the Saudi Al-Hilal had agreed on the transfer of Malcolm. The Brazilian, who also has Russian citizenship, was offered a contract until 2026 with a salary of 18 million euros a year.

– If he still leaves, then this is a loss not only for the St. Petersburg club, but for the entire championship. Such legionnaires once or twice and counted. I would really hate to see Malcolm leave the Premier League. But everyone understands what a temptation it is for a player to earn 18-20 million euros a year. The football player cannot be blamed here, because he can provide for himself for many years to come. As for our championship, I will repeat once again: without Malcolm it will be bad for everyone, Zenit in particular. Moreover, the future of the Brazilians Wendel and Claudinho is in question. And yet I think the management is aware of all these potential transfers and will find a worthy replacement, although it is not easy to find such performers.

– The transfer of Mario Fernandez to Zenit was really scandalous. How did you react to this?

– He is provided with a warm welcome in Moscow. A person likes to play under pressure – it’s great (laughs). We are waiting for his debut for Zenit. Really a quality boost. Plus, Fernandez has a Russian passport, which was important when deciding on his transfer, Rossiyskaya Gazeta quotes Pogrebnyak.

In the 2022/23 season, Malcolm made 33 appearances for Zenit in all competitions, scoring 26 goals and seven assists. The Brazilian was recognized as the best player and the best striker of the past season.

In the first round of the MIR RPL, Zenit will play on the road with the Nizhny Novgorod PARI NN. Watch the live broadcast of the meeting on July 22 from 15:10 Moscow time on the MATCH PREMIER TV channel, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites.