At the end of April, many admired the Baltic newcomer Danila Kozlov. He so unexpectedly broke into the core of Sergei Ignashevich’s team and became the leader of the attack that it was simply hard to believe. A young man with no high-level experience and here he is. Around the same time, Andrei Arshavin even said: “This is football, brother!” and he gave a quote that explains a lot: “Of course, he has all the necessary qualities to prove his worth in attack. This is generally a top-tier player. The best football player of 2005. This has been thought for a long time. Why didn’t you stay in St. Petersburg? At Zenit, trophies take priority over everything else.”
It is curious that the rhetoric of the blue-white-blue official has changed: last summer, Andrei Sergeevich scolded the guy and said that he was even too arrogant. And sometimes he doesn’t listen to what they tell him. But in spring there is only praise.
Now this same shameless man from St. Petersburg is moving to Krasnodar. How did this happen?
Where did Kozlov come from?
For those who haven’t really followed Danila, a quick note: he’s one of those who has been at Zenit since childhood. Born in the city, he went through the academy, junior and youth teams, and in the winter of 2023 he went to the training camp with Sergei Semak’s team. At that time, he was liked by many people: he scored goals, made passes on freight trains, and his style was reminiscent of Kevin De Bruyne. In the spring, he even made his debut for the team: first he played in the Russian Cup with Volga Ulyanovsk and then two matches in the RPL.
More about the talented player:
A new talent shines in the RPL. Kozlov fought with Arshavin and reveals himself to Ignashevich.
In the summer, the guy remained in the main team, but did not appear on the field again. It was during this period that people began to talk on the sidelines that Kozlov was too arrogant and stopped listening to those around him. And then Arshavin’s words were added. Danila no longer joined Zenit and only played one game with the second team. It seemed that a talented boy’s career could be going in the wrong direction. But in winter an unexpected turn occurs. While the club was looking for rental options, Baltika invited Kozlov to see him. And a week later he sent a complete offer to St. Petersburg. They said that Ignashevich really liked the young man, so they did not even offer him a rental contract, but rather a transfer.
What happened next is well known. For the spring first round match, Kozlov remained in the reserve, and only then he almost always appeared in the starting lineup. He made 3 + 5 in 15 championship and Cup games, but that is not what he is remembered for. And with the same arrogance, bravery and skills that few people at 19 years old demonstrate. Especially in the RPL.
Who, besides Kozlov, should stay in the RPL:
Classification
7 Baltika players who fell in love with themselves and should stay in the RPL
In fact, Ignashevich came up with a new position for Danila: tactical authors call it “deep ten.” But, simply put, Kozlov’s job is to be where the ball is. In the spring, he found himself in completely different areas of the field, was not afraid to play, make accurate passes and add magic to Kaliningraders’ game. It is curious that after the appearance of Kozlov in the starting eleven, Baltika scored 12 points in six games, left the relegation zone and it seemed that this is how it would all end. But the ending was a disaster.
And Kozlov is one of the few examples of developed players for whom Ignashevich can take credit.
Zenit offered to activate the purchase option, but Krasnodar increased the offer
In the summer, Kozlov’s future was surrounded by a wide variety of rumors. There was information about interest from the major leagues, although not from the most elite clubs. In Russia, Zenit wanted to return the boy, who retained the priority purchase option. Baltika also spoke about Krasnodar’s interest. Here is a quote from the club’s sporting director Armen Margaryan for Sport24.
Armen Margaryan
Baltika sports director
“There was an offer from Krasnodar of the order of 100 million rubles. Baltika rejected it. Between one million and one and a half euros is noticeably less than what we expect to receive for Kozlov.”
It is curious that now Kozlov, judging by insiders, moved to Krasnodar for approximately this amount – we are talking about 120 million rubles. And it seems that St. Petersburg refused to repeat that amount. The opinion of the footballer himself is also important: according to some sources, he did not want to return to St. Petersburg at all, understanding his future, more or less.
Another point is how Murad Musaev is going to use Kozlov. If we take as dogma that the team will play in 4-3-3, then Danila only has two options left. The first is at the top of the midfield triangle, the second is on the flank. In addition, he did not play on the edge as often, preferring the role of a drawn forward, which Musaev simply does not have. Yes, you can perform in the midfield, but there is also a lot of competition there. Just look at Eduard Spertsyan. It seems that only if Kozlov leaves will he be able to claim a place in the starting lineup.
One way or another, the choice has already been made. And the boy is no stranger to facing difficulties.
All RPL transfers in one place:
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