RPL newbies change a lot. Baltika has a rich patron, Rubin has a redistribution of power
Dmitry Zimin Jul 4, 2023 08:30 UTC Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
What transfers have already been made?
We are all used to it: if a club is just entering the RPL, then it will have problems. There are enough examples. The most recent is Torpedo. They were never able to renew the lineup, so they suffered all season at the bottom of the standings. “Torch” with its small budget also did not shine at all. There are many similar examples in the more distant past.
But the next season could be exceptional. In a good way. There are two clubs in the RPL that exude stability and ambition. And not in words, but very concrete. And they are already proving it.
A new sponsor has arrived in Baltika, but no global signings yet
Baltika was the first to enter the RPL, having issued a ticket three rounds before the end of the championship. Despite the fact that the team eventually got second place in the First League, this is not a big disappointment for him. Even then, they thought about positioning themselves in the elite. The objectives were clearly defined: to gain a foothold in the middle of the table and, in terms of intra-club philosophy, focus on Orenburg. That is, to develop young legionnaires and Russians, sell them and not need anything.
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However, a major sponsor would definitely not interfere with the launch. He also appeared. The Rostec company stopped allocating money to the Tula Arsenal and switched to Baltika. The amount was not publicly announced, but we are definitely talking about hundreds of millions of rubles. Also, the Baltika stadium is now called Rostec Arena. Therefore, the club is unlikely to experience money problems in the near future.
True, while this is not particularly reflected in transfers. Perhaps the fact is that Sergei Ignashevich really appreciates the players with whom he went to the RPL. Not long ago, he usually said that he would drop everyone and play with them in the elite. Part of this is what it all comes down to. The club dropped several aged players, including Mladen Kashchelan. In addition, Kirill Folmer’s loan ended, he returned to Rostov.
Mladen Kashchelan
Photo: fc-baltika.ru
Among the invited players, there is also nothing global so far: they signed an experienced Zhirov from Sandhausen, 24-year-old Galoyan from Alania, they took Avanesyan and Pryakhin from CSKA. And the only legionnaire, Joao Lameira, played in the second Portuguese league. While modest. Especially if you remember the words of CEO Kirill Volzhenkin. He expected to be strengthened by several strong South Americans. But maybe it will still happen.
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One of our legionnaires returned to Russia. Baltika signed the captain of the German club
True, it will be necessary to part with the current players. And it is not known how Ignashevich will react to this.
Rubin fired the athletic director. It seems that Rakhimov has even more power.
Immediately after entering the RPL, Rashid Rakhimov publicly stated: in order to play in the elite, you need to change more than half of the team. And this is two rounds before the end of the championship. It seems that his words motivated me to give my best even more. Rubin retained first place, but personnel changes began. Eight players have already left the club for various reasons. Someone’s contract has ended, we are talking about Belenov and Samoshnikov (they are already in Fakel and Loko, respectively), someone has a lease, for example, Saplinov, and with some they terminated the contract by mutual agreement. And that is certainly not all.
It’s not just the players who are leaving. Rubin’s sports director, Eduard Safonov, has stepped down. The official version is the state of health. Unofficial: staffing disagreements with Rakhimov. In any case, this role will now be taken over by former CEO Konstantin Dzyuba. And it is unlikely that the degree of his influence on the transfers will be similar to that of the former leader.
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It turns out that Rakhimov has even more power and carte blanche. Rubin trusts him. Although the signings are not the most obvious yet. They took Rybus away from Spartak, who hardly played last year. We bought defender Vuyachich from Partizan. And look further at this market. In addition, midfielder Igor Konovalov returned on rent.
Maciej Rybus
Photo: rubin-kazan.ru
There is only a multitude on the list of potential transfers, from Zenit Alexei Sutormin to Astana and Belarus national team midfielder Max Ebon. They also talk about the Serbian Alexander Chavric, and the Kosovar Mirlinda Daku. It only remains to take concrete steps. And then you can run out of players.
