Kuzyaev fulfilled a dream in which only he believed. How happy for him
Dmitry Zimin July 12, 2023, 13:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
A sharp turn towards Europe, when everything has long been won in the RPL. Daler signed a contract with French Le Havre.
It’s cool when at 30 you can’t stop dreaming. Especially if she lost her entire career in Russia, receiving a lot of money. He seemed to sign the last big contract, gradually fell on the bench, and then does what he wants. He ends up as a legend with a perfect reputation and no one will judge you. But Kuzyaev is different. Now, until 2025, he has a contract with Le Havre, a French elite club. Are you also surprised?
Remember, in 2020, Kuzyaev already tried to leave. Valencia, Freiburg, Sampdoria. Then, his name on the Loko shirt and the result, a new contract with Zenit. Many people definitely had an internal conviction: the story was unraveled to remove a lucrative contract from the St. Petersburg club. But those who did not believe in Daler’s ambitions were wrong.
Why didn’t Kuzyaev go to Europe in 2020?
Kuzyaev has another chance to trade Zenit for Europe. Why it didn’t come out sooner and what has changed
Sometimes dreams have to be adjusted. Even if the class does not leave, accompanying factors are always added. Kuzyaev’s wishes in the summer of 2023 are a club with the Champions League. Or at least European competition. There were a lot of rumors about Ferencváros (Cherchesov called there), about Turkey (all the dubious local experts went there), even about Toulouse with a guaranteed Europa League. And it didn’t work. But with Le Havre it happened. Although the club not only does not have European Cups, it has not played in the elite for more than 10 years at all. And they just come back. The first task is not to fly again. Below this the composition will be selected.
In general, Le Havre is one of the oldest clubs in France. His dignity is a decent academy. Also gray graphics. For example, among the graduates are Pogba, Diarra, Boumsong, N’Zogbia. But many of them left under strange circumstances. So UEFA had to get involved, investigating the legitimacy of the deals. The club began to work in a more transparent way in the last 10 years, when the American structures came to management. A new stadium with almost 30,000 seats has been opened (from the outside it looks a bit like Gazprom Arena), the training base has been rebuilt. In general, there are all the conditions for having a business model that is normal for such a project: development, sale and a comfortable existence.
Le Havre Stadium
Photo: stadeoceane.com
I’m sure Kuzyaev will be super tough. Just look at the composition – Daler is still the most expensive. Much of the rest of the players (again, for now) are heirs to the French spirit of Africa. A completely different world, rules and regulations in the locker room. Daler’s intelligence and natural upbringing are unlikely to be appreciated. In such clubs, legionnaires usually survive thanks to the spirit. But Daler himself knew exactly where he was going.
Naturally, Le Havre will change. They are already talking about strengthening, they are looking at Modest and Sidib. Perhaps even the style will change: last season the team played more from defense: 19 goals conceded in Ligue 2 and only 46 scored – the ninth indicator in the championship. In Ligue 1, it will be a bit strange to sit in defense for 90 minutes and wait for a scoring opportunity. In this case, Le Havre will be quickly demolished. And sent back to restart. And the leadership definitely does not want this – decent ambitions. Although at a moderate cost.
At Zenit, Daler has already been substituted:
Transfer Kovalenko will solve the problem of “Zenith”. Will there be no place for Kuzyaev to return?
Daler chose a difficult path. It seems that even from the conditional Ferencváros it would be easier to climb to a decent club in the top 5. Le Havre players over the age of 20 are not looked at as carefully as the youngsters. On the other hand, in this club, he will surely receive the leader status in no time. The head coach personally participated in video conferences and expressed interest. logically. Almost no one has relevant experience of playing at a high level there. And then everything will depend on Kuzyaev himself: already in six months you can play in such a way that one club will take you out of the conventional five.
Also, this signing definitely gives Russian players a signal: Europe is not closed, even if their agents tell them otherwise. And if you have a dream, you don’t have to fly to sign a contract with your club again. You can always go. Yes, maybe not to a top club, but to a top league. Kuzyaev succeeded at 30. And why are you worse?
