Last summer was a turning point for Herman Onugha. The Vejle striker became the top scorer in the Danish championship with 15 goals, was included in the extended list of the Russian national team for the first time (for matches against Vietnam and Thailand) and was also promoted to Copenhagen. Konstantin Krinsky asked the striker about the new stage of his career.
Which clubs wanted Onugha: Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Belgium and Turkey
– Throughout the summer, clubs were circling you and showing interest. Who was the most persistent? – “Antwerp” was around all summer and regularly asked what was going on. I didn’t answer because I didn’t really want to go there. I don’t like the Belgian league. Going there from Denmark is not exactly a blast. I understand that it is a bit stronger than the Danish league, but still. And the club, for me, is mediocre.
– There was also interest from Türkiye. – The president of Vejle wanted me to move to Rizespor, but I immediately said that I was not thinking about Turkey at all. Yes, the Super League is considered a good tournament, but I don’t take it seriously. I don’t know why. For me it’s like European Saudi Arabia: it seems to me that football is not in the foreground.
– Where did you want to go then? – The most realistic option that suited me was “Holstein” Kiel. We had discussions with the coach, the sporting director, and the management. Everyone wanted it very much, but for a long time the clubs could not agree on the financial conditions. We talked for two or three weeks, but in the end we did not get along. Everything seemed to be close, but in the end “Holstein” announced that it would not be able to pay “Vaila” the desired amount.
I was even introduced to how the team plays and what my role will be. Personal conditions were also discussed. But the clubs did not agree. And I, as I told you in a previous interview, was very keen to join the Bundesliga, I like this league very much.
Mainz also came up periodically, but they were not the first number in the negotiations. As far as I know, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was their priority, but in the end they did not agree. They approached me at the end of the window, however, when they heard how much the club was asking for, they refused: it was too much for them.
HERMAN ONUGHA IS THE BEST INSIDE PLAYER IN THE DANISH CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 2023/2024 SEASON
Photo: From personal archive.
– How much is a lot? As far as I know, his transfer cost Copenhagen between 1.5 and 1.7 million euros. – I don’t know yet. Transfers are not always paid immediately, but in instalments. Holstein offered to pay in three instalments, Copenhagen – I don’t know. And, in fact, I can’t even find out. The payment structure was also discussed there: how much directly, how much as a bonus.
– Krasnodar received more than 40% of the sale. It turns out that Veila needed to include this in the price. Obviously, they wanted to make money off of you. – The main thing in a situation like this is not to want too much, because in the end you might not get anything. Otherwise, I would have signed a contract with anyone in the winter and would have left for free in the summer.
Options in the RPL and why he did not return to Russia
– What options were there in Russia? – In this regard, I contacted Vladimir Daineko. The proposals were at the level of “let’s look into it.” However, I understood that he did not want to return to Russia yet.
What kind of clubs? We were in contact with Lokomotiv, communication was with Spartak. But I think Vladimir felt that there was no particular desire on my part to play in the RPL. And we soon stopped trying to negotiate.
– A major RPL club would definitely give you a salary that would even exceed the salary in Copenhagen. – I don’t know, it’s difficult for me to judge this. Zenit, probably yes. However, I will say the same as before: salary is salary, but for me football comes first. Besides, there are European Cups in Copenhagen and in a year, if we win the Danish championship, we can play in the Champions League. Any amount of money is worth it.
– Speaking of money, how many times has your salary increased in Copenhagen compared to Vejle? – So, now I’ll count… seven times. But I don’t really like talking about money. You just need to understand that I didn’t have a crazy contract at Veil. There were decent numbers, but there was no wow factor. It’s clear that a top-level club always offers more than a club that’s struggling to survive.
Full Summer Interview with Onugha
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Transfer to Copenhagen – all the details
– You said earlier that the Great Danes are interested in you in principle. Why Copenhagen? “The club remained interested throughout the summer. Copenhagen had striker Orri Auskarsson, who was the subject of many rumours. And they told me: if he stays, we won’t be able to take you, because we don’t want to put you on the bench and make you second. As a result, Ouskarsson left for Real Sociedad for 20 million euros and two days later they closed the deal for me.
– It turns out that among many options, two suited him: the Bundesliga or Copenhagen. – Exactly what I wanted – yes. There was also interest from Spain, but there everything is much more complicated on paper. Valladolid wanted to do it, but the Russian passport complicated the situation: in the league there is a regulated number of non-EU players in the application. Apparently, they had quite a few such players.
Lecce were also interested; representatives of the club flew in for the first matchday of the new season, when I scored a brace. They liked everything, they were very excited. But they offered an amount that is in no way comparable to reality.
– Just about the new season. You started scoring immediately, so you kept your top form. Did that help in the negotiations or in some way psychologically? – Certainly. If anyone thought I was the player of the season, that helped them realise that I could score again. Although those who were interested from the start already knew all this. In fact, I scored not three goals, but five; two clean ones were simply disallowed. You can watch the replays: the first disallowed goal was not offside, the second one was not fouled. So I am productive, which is good.
Herman Onugha – Copenhagen player
Photo: fck.dk
– Your contract with Copenhagen is only for two years. Does that bother you? – No, why? I was offered a 2+1 deal, but I told the agent that it wasn’t necessary and that we would do it for just two years. Because I’m playing this season and it will be clear what to do next. I didn’t want to tie myself to a club for five years with my first contract. This doesn’t mean that I want to move to another team later on. It’s just clearer to me.
– It is one thing to stick to “Veila” and another to “Copenhagen”. – A two-year contract is essentially the same as a one-year contract. That is, if he performs well at the end of the first season, he is offered better terms and a new term – another three or four years. If he fails to prove himself, he can leave quietly and the club is unlikely to retain him by force. It is a good time for the first contract with Copenhagen.
– Have you already spoken to the coach? Are the tasks clear? – We spoke a lot on the phone when I was in Vejla and we spoke in person at the time of signing the contract, on the last day of the transfer window. Everything was finalised in the last few hours.
Jakob Neestrup knows me well from the Danish championship and he was particularly interested in me. We already discussed some details at the first training session. Then there was a friendly match, after which we also sat down and talked. The coach is young, ambitious and open-minded, I can’t help but like him. The contact is good.
– Copenhagen plays from a position of strength, Vejle plays on the counterattack. Can you easily adjust? – It is easier to switch to attacking football. But the other way around, from attacking to defending, is difficult.
– What level do you set for yourself for your first season in Copenhagen? – Just one thing: to become the top scorer in the Danish championship. There can be no more. If I did this in Veila, then it is clear that I need to do it again.
– Copenhagen plays Vejle at the end of September. Will this be a special evening for you? – It will be nice to return to the place where you were for several years.
To enter the extended list of the Russian national team, contact Karpin
– You were included in the extended list of the Russian national team for the matches against Vietnam and Thailand. Has anyone from the RFU contacted you? – The team leader asked about the tickets if it was included in the final application. I did not contact Valery Karpin or anyone from the coaching staff.
– What were your feelings when you saw your name on the extended list of the national team? – It’s good that you noticed. But there was no surprise effect. My focus was more on my career and my transfer, on the future. And the fact that he was not included in the final list even helped him in some way: those same days he had just signed a contract with Copenhagen.
– Did you see that Karpin responded to your absence from the final list? – This is his opinion, what can I say? He believes that it is not a fact that he will play, but flying to the other side of the world without guarantees is not entirely logical. This opinion exists. It was not an outsider who said this, but the head coach of the Russian national team.
– How do you feel when you read the news that the match between Russia and Thailand was cancelled due to a typhoon? – When guys fly from Europe to Asia and can’t play 90 minutes, and I think some kind of rotation was planned so that many of them would get playing time, it’s sad and unpleasant. It’s clear that weather conditions intervened. I hope that next time nothing will interfere with the Russian team.
