Former Shakhtar striker talks about the most high-profile Ukrainian football transfers during the winter break
In Ukrainian football, all teams have begun preparations for the second part of the Ukrainian championship. Winter is the traditional time for crossings. The beginning of January was marked by several transfers that stirred up the entire football Europe.
All significant transitions in Ukrainian football were appreciated by Oleg Matveev, a well-known Donetsk Shakhtar player in the past.
— Which transfer surprised or amazed you this winter?
– The transfer of Mikhail Mudrik from Donetsk Shakhtar to London Chelsea. What struck me the most was that you can move from the current Ukrainian championship to the best league in the world, and even for that kind of money. It is clear that Mudrik is a young football player and only this year he became a real leader of the Pitmen. I don’t think that Chelsea or Arsenal scouts looked after Misha in the UPL, nobody is interested there. But the Champions League is a tournament of a completely different level. In games against Leipzig, Real Madrid and Celtic, he was able to show his best side.
My opinion: Mudrik is a good, quality player and he will progress in London’s Chelsea. I believe that Mikhail will play in his new team. Everyone was waiting for the transfer of Mudrik, this information went back in the summer, but no one came to life that the amount of the transfer would be such a huge amount of money – 70+30 million euros.
– Now Chelsea occupies a low, as for itself, 10th place in the Premier League. Is this good for Mudrik?
– I think it’s good for the Ukrainian midfielder. If he moved now to Arsenal, which is the leader in the Premier League, then the demand from him would be different. There could be no mistake. But in Chelsea, you can climb up the standings, along with the team. You need to understand that in Europe no one will just pay that kind of money.
– Bonuses for Shakhtar, in the amount of 30 million euros, can be paid if Chelsea can win the Premier League or the Champions League in the next seven years. Can miners count on this money?
– We will see. I am sure that Chelsea will not win the Champions League this year. So what is next? Time will show.
– With a record transfer, it is worth praising Shakhtar’s management…
– Of course, everyone worked well here – Darijo Srna, Sergey Palkin, and, of course, the president of the club, Rinat Akhmetov. Whose merit is paramount – I do not know. But the money for Mudrik will be huge.
– London Chelsea is pretty stormy this year: a lot of new players, mostly defenders bought, and for a lot of money, the new head coach Graham Potter, and the result is depressing. Why is that?
– Buying new players does not always bring a positive result. Much depends on the work of the head coach, his methods of work. It is also important how the guys interact on the football field. Look, the teams coached by Pep Guardiola always take 1st or 2nd place in the standings. They do not rely on the number of transfers, and are always in the lead. Chelsea have a different story. I don’t think the Blues will win anything this year.
On January 21st, Liverpool will host Chelsea. Do you think Mudrik will take part in this meeting?
– I think that Misha will enter the Anfield Road field in the starting lineup. Mudrik will gradually get stronger, adapt in England and be able to become his own there – he has all the qualities for this.
– Let’s move on to the transfer of Viktor Tsygankov to the Spanish Girona …
– I think that the leadership of Kyiv Dynamo overexposed Victor in their team. Tsygankov will now play in the Spanish La Liga – this is the championship for his style. I believe that there he will progress. I’m just disappointed with the level of Girona. This is a clear middle peasant in the Spanish La Liga. And the transfer amount is only 5 million euros. Yes, there is a percentage of the next resale, but it will not be soon, I think. I would like to see Victor in teams of the level of Sevilla, Atlético (Madrid), Valencia. I don’t think Girona will ever be among the leaders. Perhaps Girona has some money, but this is the usual middle peasant in its championship.
– Do you think that Tsygankov spent time in Dynamo?
– Yes, he had to leave a couple of years ago, when he shone with Khatskevich, and then with Lucescu. I believe that he lost his motivation, and now Tsygankov does not look like himself yet. Remember, under Shevchenko, he regularly appeared in the starting lineup of the national team, but this was not the case under Petrakov.
– Tsygankov’s agent is the brother of Pep Guardiola. Maybe in the future Vitya will play in a strong club?
“Perhaps, God willing. In football, he took a step forward. The Spanish Championship is very strong. Here is a question for Dynamo President Igor Surkis, why he was not sold earlier. In any Italian club of the level of Lazio, Roma or Atalanta, he could play well. In Girona, Tsygankov, in my opinion, will not be a clear leader, but he will stand out.
– Let’s move on to the transfer of Yaroslav Rakitskiy. He is 33 years old and is returning to Shakhtar. Is this a buff for the miners?
We all know his strengths – crazy left foot, long pass. Yes, the speed is not the same, although he was not the fastest defender before. I am sure that even today he is stronger than Bondar and Krivtsov. And in the locker room, he will be one of the leaders. For the championship of Ukraine, his level is enough, but in European competitions it will be more difficult. Matches with Rennes will tell us a lot. I know that the President of FC Shakhtar Rinat Akhmetov loves and respects him very much.
Why was the agreement signed for only 6 months?
– Apparently, Shakhtar want to look at his game for a long time and then make the final decision to extend the contract.
– But Dnepr-1 did not let anyone out of the key players. Although Dovbik is being hunted by many…
– Yes, Dnipro-1, being in first place, wants to become the champions of Ukraine. As I heard, the champion of Ukraine can automatically get into the Champions League group, and this is a huge amount of money. Selling Dovbik now for 10-15 million euros and losing everything in the championship is not an option for Dnipro. In the first round, Dnepr-1 outplayed many in the case. Now their rivals are Shakhtar and Dynamo. I want to praise Alexander Kucher, who created a good team, both in Dnepr-1 and earlier in Metallist. Let’s see, in the spring the Ukrainian Premier League will give us a lot of interesting things.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
