Hamid Agalarov explained why he chose “Akhmat” and not “Maritima”

Akhmat newcomer Hamid Agalarov believes that he should spend another good season in the MIR RPL before leaving for Europe.

– Transfer rumors around you are the main saga of this summer in Russian football. Why in the end “Akhmat”?

– The main factor is Andrey Viktorovich (Talalaev)’s interest in me. We called him up more than once, he outlined the game of Akhmat, the philosophy of the team, told how he sees me in the team. It inspired and hooked me,” Sport24 quoted Agalarov as saying.

– And how does Talalaev see you?

– The tip of the attack – the central forward. I followed Akhmat last season. They have a lot of vertical attacks, pressure and counterattacks. This is what I like and fit. So everything is clear.

What advice did your father give you?

– He supported my decision to move to Akhmat, like the whole family. Dad also liked the perseverance of Talalaev and the leaders of the club. This was key. Another important factor in my transition is the similarity of the mentality of the peoples of Chechnya and Dagestan. Due to this, my adaptation to Akhmat will be faster.

– Literally two days before your transfer to Akhmat, an option suddenly arose with the Portuguese Maritimo.

– This option was, we discussed it with Shamil Kamilovich (Gazizov, the general director of Ufa). But in the end, I decided that going abroad now is not exactly what I need. At the top level in the RPL, I played only one season. I’m ready for Europe, but I need at least another season in Russia.

In the first round of the MIR RPL, Akhmat played a draw at home with Spartak (1: 1). Agalarov appeared on the field in the 56th minute of the meeting and was not marked by effective actions.