Do Muscovites need another legionnaire?
Recently, Spartak has become the main provider of news about possible transfers. Over the course of two days, information appeared in the press about the interest of the “red-whites” in several defenders at once. Specific names were also mentioned. Let’s try to find out what kind of players these are and whether the Moscow club needs them.
Former Spartak player
Soon after Spartak acquired Ferencvaros striker Marquinhos, several media outlets reported that the matter might not be limited to just one player from the Hungarian league. Another name was mentioned: 29-year-old defender Mienti Abena. Originally from Suriname, a graduate of the Utrecht school, he is a stocky, dark-skinned athlete, about 1.90 meters tall. In the Netherlands, Abena played briefly and for the not-so-famous club De Graafschap. Most of the West Indian’s career was spent in Eastern Europe. At first he played for Spartak from the Slovakian city of Trnava. But Mienti did not remain a Spartak player for long. He quickly moved to Slovan Bratislava. In 2023, he received an invitation to Ferenvaros, coached by Stanislav Cherchesov.
Abena played with both Stanislav Salamovich and Dejan Stankovic. It cannot be said that the Surinamese is an indispensable player for the Hungarian champion. But he appeared on the field in more than half of the matches. He scored three goals. He made his debut for the Suriname national team.
To be honest, it is not clear why Spartak needs such a tall player, but not the fastest. Abena is objectively inferior to the current defenders of the “red and whites”. In addition, the Surinamese will turn 30 in December. Stankovic, who knows Mienti well, would like to continue the cooperation, but there are serious doubts that Spartak will acquire this legionnaire.
Graduated from the Academy of Porto
On Monday, several sites shared the news: Spartak is interested in Vitoria Guimaraes defender Jorge Fernandes. The agent of the 27-year-old Portuguese partially confirmed this information, saying that many people need his client. Including the Russian club. The well-known insider journalist Ivan Karpov, in turn, wrote that it is not Spartak that is showing interest in Fernandes, but rather the opposite. This is a representative of a football player looking for job opportunities. Previously, some rumors linked Jorge to CSKAThe artist’s contract with Vitoria expires in a year.
Jorge Fernandes is a fairly tall football player. According to some sources, his height is 191 centimeters, according to other sources, he is two centimeters taller; A graduate of Porto, he played for various junior and youth teams in Portugal, but never entered the main team of the “dragons” or the first national team of the country. He played in modest Tondela, was on loan to Turkish Kasimpasa, and since 2020 he has been playing for Vitoria. A good defender, but not top, worth 2-2.5 million euros.
Does Spartak need a Portuguese defender? Hardly. Under Leonid Fedun, Muscovites sometimes bought foreign players of this type on the flag. They brought some benefit, but nothing more. Therefore, the stay of such players was relatively short-term. Perhaps Jorge Fernandes is a better footballer than the previous hero. If the “white-reds” want to strengthen the center of defense, then it is better to offer a new contract to Georgiy Dzhikia than to invite a mediocre foreigner.
Derrick for 15 million
And finally, the third candidate. Unlike the previous two, he is not a center back, but a left back. The first information about Spartak’s interest in Galatasaray player Derrick Ken appeared recently. The Turkish star refused to sell the 25-year-old footballer, who has been in the team for only six months, even for 10 million euros. Ken himself was not willing to sacrifice the Champions League for the sake of moving to the Russian Premier League. But three weeks have passed and the Muscovites have improved their offer: they are ready to pay, according to the Turkish press, already 15 million. This is where Galatasaray and their agents have started to think.
Derrick Ken is German. More precisely, a German citizen with African roots. Like Antonio Rudiger or Jonathan Ta. The footballer’s ancestors came to Germany from Ghana. Until the age of 18, Derrick studied football at the Hamburg Academy and then was invited to Bayern Munich. Where, in fact, he became a professional footballer. But Derrick did not manage to get into the top team of the Bundesliga. I did not even sit on the bench. Ken did not manage to get past the second team. He played in the Netherlands for Willem II. After two seasons in the Netherlands, Ken returned to Germany, where he played for Hannover 96, a club in the Second Bundesliga. There he was noticed by Galatasaray and bought for three and a half million euros. Ken was not called up to the first German national team. It is possible that we will see him in the jersey of the Ghana national team.
Derrick played little at Galatasaray, but he was good. Ken can hardly consider the recent Supercup match against Besiktas (0:5) an asset. Just like all Jim-Bom football players. In general, he is a very skilled football player. At Bayern they won’t teach you bad things. But if Derrick were really a star, he would still be playing for the Munich club today. The price of 10 million seems clearly too high, let alone fifteen million. In addition, the position of left back does not seem critical for Spartak. Oleg Ryabchuk started the season very well. Perhaps the rumors about the possible arrival of a German footballer have stimulated the Moldovan national team player? There is also Daniil Khlusevich, who is better on the left than on the right. It therefore makes no sense for the Muscovites to buy the Galatasaray left back. Especially for such a price. And in the current Spartak they know how to count money.
