On June 21, FIFA again allowed legionnaires to suspend contracts with Russian clubs, after which rumors began to appear about possible departures. One of the expected transfers is the transfer of Chidera Ejuke from CSKA to Hertha, which is now headed by ex-Dynamo coach Sandro Schwartz.

For the Nigerian, this is certainly a promotion, although he is not guaranteed a starting XI in Berlin. However, something else is more important: having left Moscow, the football player will greatly set CSKA up. The army team already has a lot of problems with the composition, and soon Vladimir Fedotov will have nothing to build a team from.

CSKA has big problems?

Photo: © PFC CSKA

Chidera confessed his love for CSKA. Feelings gone?

It is strange if this is so, because less than a week has passed since the last declaration of love. At the end of June, Ejuke stated that he loves football very much and will do everything to make his team progress. However, he did not say an unequivocal “no” to the question of the suspension of the contract. And now, according to the “Championship”, Chidera is preparing to leave for Berlin. Former CSKA player Valery Masalitin criticized the Nigerian for his past words.

– It seems that the other day he said that he was pleased with everything, that CSKA was almost a second home for him, but he leaves at the first opportunity. The words of our foreigners are at odds with their deeds. Perhaps he began to feel left out in CSKA. He was a leader, brought a lot of benefits to the club. In my opinion, Ejuke is stronger than Carrascal. He deserves a place on the field on his left flank. For CSKA, this is definitely a loss, ”Championship” quotes Masalitin.

Chidera is one of the best in the RPL in terms of the number of strokes, he greatly sharpens the game in CSKA’s attack, moves well from the flanks. In his first season, he received a ton of criticism for not sharing the ball, but has been looking much better lately. True, after the arrival of a pair of strong legionnaires in the person of Carrascal and Medina, the Nigerian was on the bench. If he had played all the time, perhaps no rumors about Hertha would have appeared.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich

What awaits Ejuke in Germany?

If Schwartz still manages to get himself a Nigerian dribbler, who will compete with him? We look at the composition of Hertha and see four players: 20-year-old Frenchman Kelian Nsona and his 23-year-old compatriot Mizian Maolida, 24-year-old German Marco Richter and 25-year-old Korean Lee Dong Jun. Ejuka is 24 years old, that is, by age he fits perfectly into this company. Nsona is also a rookie and the rest of the wingers have been with the team since 2021. A place in the starting lineup for the Nigerian is by no means guaranteed, but it is quite possible to compete for it.

Schwartz has not yet played official matches, so it is not known which scheme he will choose for Hertha. In Dynamo, the German preferred 4-3-3, and the flank players were given leading roles in attack. Therefore, if Ejuke moves to Berlin, the requirements for him will be very high. It is unlikely that the Hertha leadership took Schwartz to fight for survival, which means the German will squeeze the maximum out of the team.

Chidera is one step away from promotion, but CSKA will be really bad without him. Medina and Carrascal will be almost the only players in the position, so if one of them is injured or disqualified, the team will suffer serious damage. Therefore, the Nigerian should consider whether to burn bridges.

The leadership of the army will clearly perceive the departure of Ejuke as a betrayal. However, throwing big words or writing caustic posts, as Spartak did in the case of Larsson, does not make any sense now. It is time for Muscovites to urgently make up for the loss of personnel in order to provide Vladimir Fedotov with adequate working conditions. If the club continues to lose players, even the magic of the Russian coach will not help CSKA make a breakthrough.