In mid-June, Sergei Volkov finally signed a contract with Zenit. According to the championship, the amount of the transaction was 5 million euros. Krasnodar can receive another 2 million euros in bonuses. Yes, some were surprised that St. Petersburg took a rotation player from a competitor for so much money. On the other hand, everyone understood: the Russian champion had a problem with the right-back position. Gone are the days when he was the best in the country. Anyukov is in the coaching staff, Smolnikov has retired, and now Karavaev plays there. But for various reasons it is difficult for him to spend the whole season at a high level.
And here is a young Russian. Yes, there are doubts about the level, but the coaching staff is there to improve it. The market is not so saturated with choice. And overpaying for a passport officer is a normal story in our time. With such arguments one could explain this transfer. But then something incomprehensible began.
Loko made an interesting transfer:
Lokomotiv responded to the defeat in the transfer to Spartak
Even before his debut in an official match, Volkov managed to ruin relations with his former teammates. Everything is at stake in his performance. To a direct question: Is it good that Zenit beat Krasnodar and became champion? Sergei answered in the affirmative. And he did not even try to find a more cautious expression.
And soon he came to the Volgograd Super Cup, where he received the answer. Krasnodar captain Eduard Spertsyan spoke harshly about his attitude towards his former teammate.
Eduard Spertsyan
Midfielder from Krasnodar
“I don’t communicate with Volkov. And I have nothing to say to him. Now the team doesn’t treat him well. Have you seen his interview? He acted rudely towards us, towards the club that raised him.”
At the same time, Volkov is probably treated better by the management. Yes, it is no secret that he himself asked to be released to Zenit. But the Telegram channel “not Galitsky’s adviser” claims that as soon as the owner found out how much St. Petersburg was willing to pay, he did not think for a long time. And the deal was closed very quickly.
And Murad Musaev didn’t care. At a press conference he said that the terms of the termination were completely satisfactory to the club. Apparently they knew something.
Sergei Volkov in Krasnodar
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
Questions arose for Sergei during the summer friendly tournament. He dropped out of the game, did not provide the volume that Zenit was used to, and did not help out particularly effectively in attack. In general, he did not look like the player who would replace Karavaev. At the same time, in an interview he said that he understood his shortcomings and expected the coaching staff to personally solve the problematic issues with him. It seemed a little naive. The 21-year-old remained on the bench during the Super Cup and made his debut in the match against Rostov, coming on for a few minutes. Then there were full-fledged cup matches with Fakel and Rubin, where he was not given so much attention.
And finally, he got into the starting lineup for the RPL match. This happened in Khimki, when Zenit finally saved the draw. True, at that moment Volkov was no longer on the field. And according to the Sofascore portal, he became the worst player in the team: 12 losses, only two wins. But Semak did not say anything personally about Sergei.
Interview with former Zenit goalkeeper:
Exclusive
“I have no goal of returning to Zenit.” He left Semak and stopped his former club.
Semak left a quote for the upcoming match against Spartak. Karavaev was not ready again, so Volkov started. But he only played the first half, after which Erakovic took the position of right back. Sergei made mistakes again, losing his position and the ball. And after the match Semak said: the reshuffle is due to the fact that the Serbian defender feels and understands the demands of the coaching staff better. A not very flattering assessment.
A couple of days later, Volkov was back in the lineup for the cup match against Akron. And he earned a ridiculous penalty. After which he was immediately removed. This time Semak acted more harshly.
Sergey Semak
Zenit coach
“We are changing Volkov because he is out of the game and unfortunately he makes a lot of mistakes. Maybe this is due to adaptation, maybe his emotional state now does not allow him to show reliable and quality football. We have to work, work hard, analyse the mistakes and move on.”
It is logical that after these words Volkov did not play in Nizhny Novgorod. Moreover, Karavaev recovered from his injury. And now Volkov himself has an injury, and he received it during training. And it took Sergei out of football at least until spring.
I feel sorry for Volkov. Such a start at a new club is the worst possible option. The main thing is that he does not break down psychologically. Otherwise, the transfer will truly be a failure.
