Football club CSKA On Tuesday announced the transfer of midfielder Dmitry Barinov from Lokomotiv Moscow. For the Army team this is the second important agreement in the current transfer window after the purchase of the Argentine striker Luciano Gonda; the club is already stocking up on forces to fight for the championship in the season of the Russian Premier League (RPL). For Lokomotiv fans, Barinov’s pass is decidedly painful.
Transfer history
For many, such a move may come as a surprise, because Barinov is moving from one top club to another. Furthermore, in the summer of 2024, Barinov told the Sport24 portal that he will not leave Lokomotiv for another Russian club. This was noted in the context of a possible move to Dynamo Moscow. “I heard about it, there were conversations. But now I can honestly tell you that I will not move to any Russian club. If I leave Lokomotiv somewhere, it will be only in Europe. These words may seem strong to some, but they are true,” Barinov said.
But things didn’t go according to plan. The 29-year-old midfielder’s contract with Lokomotiv was set to expire at the end of the season. In September, he told reporters that the club had not yet started negotiations to extend the deal, despite his leadership, captaincy and legend: he played for Lokomotiv for almost 15 years. Barinov never felt sorry for himself in the Lokomotiv uniform, worked with all the specialists and waited for the opportunity to go to Europe. I was losing to the club, but it seems that Lokomotiv decided to play with it a bit.
This signal did not go away without a trace. Lokomotiv, led by general director Vladimir Leonchenko, has started negotiations with Barinov to extend his contract. Leonchenko himself told Sport Express that the club is interested in continuing cooperation with Barinov. But the negotiations did not produce any results, and the topic of Barinov’s contract became the most discussed in the context of Lokomotiv. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Railway Workers, Yuri Nagornykh, noted that the negotiations are going well.
In December Sport-Express reported that Barinov rejected the final offer to extend his contract. The general director of Lokomotiv has changed, Boris Rotenberg Jr. replaced Leonchenko. However, he also failed to solve this problem.
On January 12, Lokomotiv returned from vacation, Barinov, along with everyone else, underwent a medical examination before flying to the training camp. Then he said that the situation with the transition to CSKA indefinite. On Monday afternoon, sporting director Dmitry Ulyanov said that Boris Rotenberg, already at the beginning of his work at Lokomotiv, offered the player a new contract for four years, but the player rejected this option. He also noted that in the winter Lokomotiv received an offer from CSKA according to Barinov, which the club rejected.
Everything was decided after a few hours. In the evening Lokomotiv announced that it had received a new offer from CSKAwhich has been improved. Therefore, Barinov was excluded from the composition for the retreat. Subsequently director of communications CSKA Kirill Breido reported on his Telegram channel that the club has agreed with Lokomotiv on the transfer of Barinov. Thus ends Barinov’s long history with Lokomotiv. Although in 2025 Barinov was among the contenders for the “For Fidelity” award in the category “RPL“, but the captain and the goalkeeper won CSKA Igor Akinfeev.
Why is it necessary? CSKA?
At 29 years old, Barinov has extensive winning experience. Together with Lokomotiv he won the Russian Cup three times, the national championship once and the national Super Cup once. As is known, winning RPL It also helps to have players who have already won the championship. This is it CSKA acquired another similar player in addition to national champions Igor Akinfeev and Danil Krugovoy.
Barinov has long established himself in Russian football as a defender with a strong character. In addition to good offensive and defensive qualities, CSKA acquires another “boy” capable of strengthening the character of the team at a given moment. The army team now has one of the youngest teams RPLBarinov’s character and serious approach will help in this regard.
Moreover, the Barinov transition gives CSKA variability. In the first part of the season, the army team could not rotate the squad much without losing quality, but with the advent of Barinov, not only a reserve will be added, but also moments of maneuver. This applies to both circuits and simple replacements.
Now CSKA there will be one of the strongest central midfielders: Barinov, Ivan Oblyakov, Matvey Kislyak. All three can play both defense and attack, each of them is a high-quality footballer. They are joined by Brazilian midfielder Matthäus Alves, who plays more in attack. It turns out that Army coach Fabio Celestini will have a lot of variability in terms of using players on the field.
What do the experts say?
On the one hand, the acquisition of Barinov is a big plus for variability. On the other hand, in a positive sense, the problem for Celestini is how to include everyone on the pitch. Experts suggested how it will affect Barinov’s transition CSKA.
Former army footballer Vladimir Ponomarev is convinced of this CSKA The character will be added with the appearance of Barinov. “I think so CSKA will play according to the “4-3-3” scheme, everyone will adapt: Barinov, Matvey Kislyak and Ivan Oblyakov. Barinov is in the support zone, Kislyak is higher, he will go on the attack,” he said. – So it will be a good trio. As the English say: “Show your midfielders, I’ll tell you which team.” Of course, Barinov’s arrival will also add character CSKA. The composition as a whole is not age-appropriate.”
“This is a good transfer, of course, it’s a shame that Barinov already had a complex cruciate ligament injury,” Ponomarev said. “We need a player like this in the middle of the pitch, more or less aggressive, good in defence, holds the ball well, sees the pitch. A good signing for CSKA. But it seems to me that it won’t last long,” he added.
Former head coach CSKA and the Russian national team, Valery Gazzaev believes that the army team now has a very strong selection of players in the center of the field. “Good competition has a positive effect on the success of the team. Ivan Oblyakov, Matvey Kislyak and Barinov – this trio will be one of the best in the center of midfield in Russian football. All players play for the Russian national team and have good qualities,” he said. – Each of them can play both attack and defense. Therefore, a great buy for CSKA. In modern football, centrally positioned players who simultaneously perform defensive and offensive actions are highly valued.”
Former coach of the Russian national team and Lokomotiv Yuri Semin agrees with him. “Now CSKA one of the strongest center lines on the field. The coach has a selection of high-quality players. I think there will be no problems welcoming the main midfielders Oblyakov and Kislyak,” he said.
“I think so CSKA I wanted to see Barinov more at home. The clubs agreed and the transition took place. He was an important player for Lokomotiv, but in football there were often transfers to the competition. Time will tell how this transition will affect teams,” Semin added.
Barinov could play against Lokomotiv in February
CSKA is in fourth place in the rankings RPLscoring 36 points. Lokomotiv is third with 37 points. The teams will play a friendly match on February 21st in the third final training camp before the season resumes.
