Spartak after six rounds of the RPL is in second place in the standings. Despite the good performance, the Red-Whites need reinforcement, including in the attack line. The team has Alexander Sobolev, angry and motivated as never before, but there is no sensible replacement for the Russian. Shamar Nicholson has completely disappeared under the new coach, and indeed they say that the Jamaican can leave.

Therefore, it is logical that there were rumors about the signing of a new forward by Spartak. Yes, not anyone, but Keith Balde himself! The Senegalese played his own for Monaco, Lazio and Inter. True, the last years of his career did not work out.

Does Spartak have a fetish for decommissioned players? Maybe, but don’t jump to conclusions.

Signing Balde will be a boost for the entire league

In the 2021/22 season, Keita played for the Italian Cagliari and, frankly, did not impress. In 26 matches played, the striker scored three goals and gave one assist – not a lot for a top striker.

Balde Keita / Photo: © Ivan Romano / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

However, one should not forget about the level of Serie A teams. What Balde did not succeed there may well work out in Russia. Confirmation of this is the recent transfers of CSKA. Yusuf Yazici sat tight in Lille, but he came to CSKA and became a real star. Gbamen can also be attributed there, who famously acted in the support zone of the “army”. Legionnaires in Russia are revealed in a new way – their qualities are more than enough for a brilliant game in our championship.

There is an opinion that Balde is a downed pilot. But let’s remember how many of these “decommissioned” players came to the same Spartak. Stopcock “Milan” Luis Adriano arrived in Moscow – he began to score, give assists and won the championship. Chelsea’s burden Victor Moses is now by far the best in playing the red-whites on the flank (we wish him a speedy recovery).

Yes, the same Quincy Promes! The capital’s fans were initially skeptical about his return to the club.

What do they say about him now? This is the real engine of the team! The Dutchman reminds himself of his former self and after 6 rounds he leads the RPL scorers race.

Therefore, criticism of Keith Balde should be postponed. The guy is only 27 years old, and in Spartak he can become a real star. Not without reason in the past he was interested in Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea. His transfer can strengthen the league as a whole – now we are in dire need of quality legionnaires.

Balde Keita / Photo: © Claudio Villa – Inter / Contributor / FC Internazionale / Gettyimages.com

Finally, Keita is a very interesting character. In 2010, he was expelled from the Barcelona academy for putting ice in the bed of one of his partners during a tournament in Qatar and locking other players in the rooms, ruining the keyholes. With such hooligan charisma, the Senegalese is perfect for the current Spartak.

Spartak offers an adequate salary

Given that the striker has played in the top clubs in Europe, then his potential salary at Spartak looks quite adequate. According to journalist Ivan Karpov in his Telegram channel, it will amount to one and a half million euros per year. According to the same source, Nicholson’s salary is now 100 thousand more, while Sobolev receives two million.

However, Karpov made a reservation that neither the player’s agent nor Spartak confirmed the information about Balde’s transfer. But we know that often the parties do not want to reveal their cards ahead of time, and there is no smoke without fire. Moreover, Metaratings later stated that the club was already negotiating the final details of the deal with the player.