Malcolm moves to Al-Hilal. How will this affect the strength of Zenit and where to look for a replacement?
On Sunday, the chairman of the board of Zenit, Alexander Medvedev, confirmed the agreement on the transfer of striker Malcolm to the club from Saudi Arabia.
– The story with Malcolm is completed, a transfer agreement has been signed, which does not stipulate his return. The amount of the transfer is fixed – 60 million euros. The scheme is not typical. The transfer will take effect only after receiving the emergency transfer amount – 7 million. The remaining amount will be paid before the end of the 2023/24 season, Medvedev told Match TV.
The deal was a record for both countries. Never before have players left Russia for that kind of money. At the same time, the Saudis, who have arranged shopping throughout Europe, have not yet spent so much on a single football player.
Zenit knows how to sell players
In the history of “Zenith” is not the first major sale. It has long been customary to accuse the Petersburg club of fabulous expenses against the background of other teams, not seeing this as a business plan. Over the years, Zenit really broke the mold, bringing players to Russia that were inaccessible to other Russian clubs. But subsequent events showed that Zenit did not waste money, but made profitable investments.
It wasn’t without luck either. Seven years ago, completely non-market amounts for football players were paid in China, now the transfer boom has happened in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to the generosity of the Chinese, the Hulk, bought for €40 million, was sold for €56 million. For the same reason, six months before the expiration of the contract, an incredible €20 million in such a situation was able to bail out for Witsel.
The deal with PSG for the sale of Leandro Paredes turned out to be ideal for Zenit. Bought for €23 million, the Argentine left for €40 million, and the proceeds for him were enough for a whole bunch of players who later became the foundation of championship seasons.
Case Malcolm from the same series. If there is a buyer for whom even a prohibitive overprice is not a problem, it is simply irrational to keep a player in your squad. Firstly, no one else will offer such money. Secondly, after a generous offer from the Middle East, the player’s motivation to stay at Zenit would tend to zero. At one time, the Hulk, having learned about the salary offered by the Chinese, was ready to go from St. Petersburg to Shanghai on foot. Malcolm at Zenit also did not live in poverty, but could only dream of 18 million euros a year, which he would receive under a new contract.
Filipe Malcom / Photo: © Maxim Konstantinov / Match TV
For many Brazilians who have broken through to the top of poverty, football first of all becomes a way to earn money and only then an opportunity to realize themselves in the top leagues. This is similar to the stories of people who survived a shipwreck and waited a very long time to be rescued: the poor fellows were obsessed with food until the end of their days. Whenever possible, they hid crackers and other products in reserve. Therefore, Hulk at one time preferred to move from Porto to Zenit, and not Chelsea. Later, for the same reason, he sacrificed the opportunity to play in the Champions League, for the sake of luxurious conditions in China. Malcolm’s motives are also transparent.
Malcolm was bought for 40 million and sold for 60 million, but it would be too naive to say that the club earned a net 20 million from him. Taking into account the salary of the highest paid RPL player, Zenit at best went to zero, but this still does not detract from the merits of St. Petersburg. In the current situation, getting that kind of money for a football player is aerobatics. Well, do not forget about the direct benefits of the Brazilian on the field. At the beginning, Malcolm swayed for a long time, but he leaves Russia with top statistics for a winger: 42 goals and 24 assists in 109 matches.
Malcolm’s departure is not a disaster
The loss of Zenit’s best player is certainly encouraging for his competitors, but in fact, the gap in the level of squads between the champion and the contenders is still impressive. In addition, Semak perfectly adapts to losses. The parting with the previous leaders of the attack Azmun and Dziuba did not seem to be noticed by the team at all. It was then that Malcolm came to the fore. Now we have to find a new hero: either from among those already in the team, or on the side.
Zelimkhan Bakaev / Photo: © Maxim Konstantinov / Match TV
The prototype of Zenit without Malcolm was presented in the last round of the WORLD RPL in the game against PARI NN. The Brazilian was prudently left in reserve before the sale, and Zelimkhan Bakaev took his position on the right flank of the attack. For the ex-Spartak player, the departure of a competitor is a great chance to gain a foothold in the squad. Last season, he only started once in an RPL match. Effective actions also managed to distinguish themselves in only one game. Bakaev has already started this season with an assist. He was recognized as the best player of the meeting.
In winter, new Brazilian talent Pedro will arrive in St. Petersburg, who is waiting for his 18th birthday to move to Zenit. A €9m deal with Corinthians is already in place, so the young winger could also be seen as a replacement for Malcolm. Pedro’s main position is the left striker, but the place on the right flank of the attack is familiar to him. Also, Mantuan, who is already on the team, can play on the right.
Where to look for a replacement?
If Zenit doesn’t buy anyone after Malcolm’s departure, the team won’t sag much in terms of quality anyway. Semak has two players at his disposal who can close his position. The problem is that the matter may not be limited to Malcolm alone. Wendel has not yet returned to St. Petersburg and does not hide his desire to continue his career in Brazil. A lot of rumors are circulating around the possible departure of Claudinho. The departure of one Malcolm for Zenit is not a disaster, but it will be much more difficult to survive the one-time loss of three leaders at once.
As an anesthetic, the club has 60 million euros, and in the case of the sale of Wendel and Claudinho, the transfer budget will reach quite gigantic figures. The problem is that in the current conditions it is much more difficult to spend this money on stars than before. If earlier it was relatively easy to negotiate with European clubs, now any transfer from Europe to Russia is fraught with a lot of problems.
It is symptomatic that only one Bongonda has arrived in the RPL from the top European leagues this summer. Things are a little easier with clubs from Portugal, where three players have already moved. It can be assumed that Zenit will work in this direction, besides, he has a rich experience of cooperation with Porto, Benfica and Sporting.
The other day, the Portuguese journalist Vene Casagrande said that the priority option for replacing Malcolm for Zenit is the right winger of Benfica, David Neres. So far, the Lisbon club is clearly not eager to part with the player, whom he acquired a year ago from the Ukrainian Shakhtar for only 15.3 million euros. Until the end of the transfer window, everything can change if the clubs come to an amount that suits both sides. Benfica are unlikely to let the player go for less than 40m, but would Zenit be willing to pay that price, even with Malcolm’s generous compensation?
As an alternative, you can consider another Brazilian – Gabriel Veron from Porto, who has not yet made it to the team’s base and is much cheaper. The shortlist could also include Portugal’s Trincao from Sporting. At one time, Barca bought him for 30 million, but he, like Malcolm, failed to prove himself in a top club. A year ago, Sporting bought him for only 7 million and now they will not mind considering a worthy offer from St. Petersburg.
Another area of possible search for a new winger is Brazil, where Zenit also has extensive connections. Clubs and players from this country have no prejudices about moving to Russia, but there is another problem. It is difficult for Zenit to compete with European tops in the search for future stars. It’s great luck that the defender Rennan managed to get out of Corinthians, who in the future can be sold for a lot of money. Now in the Brazilian championship there are simply no top-level players for Malcolm’s position. The exception is the supertalent Andrik, but he has already been booked by Real Madrid.
In any case, Zenit still has enough time to find a worthy replacement for the top scorer of last season. It’s definitely not worth rushing in this matter, especially since the level of the current squad allows you to be patient. Closer to the close of the transfer window, there are usually a lot of attractive options on the market, and agents themselves come out with an offer to buy.
