We look into the future of the most status modern player in Ukraine – and we see that there is a future!
Is there a future in football for a 32-year-old player? Especially if he is not a goalkeeper. Especially if the level of his ambitions is still high, as well as the level of salary and lifting.
Andriy Yarmolenko finished the 2021/22 season at West Ham and becomes a free agent on June 30. Where can the champion of the national team get daily bread, so as not only to knock down a couple more lyams, but also to enjoy and benefit from sports?
Sport Arena sorts out realistic and fantastic options.
Premier League
- What gets? A dream is the optimal balance of big money and sports interest.
- What is at risk? Game time and “quiet retirement”.
- Who is interested? Fulham (newcomer to the Premier League).
Andrei admitted that his family is comfortable in the UK. Therefore, the option to stay in the Premier League will be considered premium, optimal. For a long time there were no such rumors, but now the press is reading Yarmolenko to Fulham. This club finished first in the Championship and was promoted for the third time in the last four years. The owner of the “summer residents” Shahir Khan can afford Yarmola’s rather big salary.
But then the questions begin. Firstly, in the position of the right winger, which is optimal for Andrei, Fulham has one of the best players – 25-year-old Harry Wilson, acquired from Liverpool on a 5-year contract. The Welsh collection in 40 matches has issued 30 effective actions in the Championship (10 goals, 20 assists). Even if we imagine that the left-hander Wilson will be transferred to the other flank, the experienced Frenchman Knocker, the Portuguese Cavaleiro and especially the Congolese Kebano will remain – a fairly productive winger. The center-halfs Reid and Cairney can also play on the right in midfield – that is, theoretically, Yarmolenko can compete with six players, each of whom is younger and most of them are quite successful in Fulham.
The Portuguese Marco Silva, of course, would not mind getting such an option as Yarmolenko – everyone knows that he is able to make a difference at the highest level in individual matches. But here the financial appetites of the player and his representatives, and the desire of Fulham to complete the hot position and vision of the coach, must coincide.
Therefore, probability – 25%
La Liga
- What gets? Probably the last big challenge in his career.
- What is at risk? Be a reservist again.
- Who is interested? Seville (4th place).
“Did Monchi call me? Probably, he hasn’t found my number yet, so they haven’t talked to him yet, ”Yarmolenko reacted with irony to this rumor. Indeed, Julen Lopetegui has four candidates for two wingers at once, who have signed and continue contracts.
On the left is unconditionally the main Argentinean Lucas Ocampos (if necessary, both O. Torres and Papu Gomez can move there), on the right – his fellow countryman Eric Lamela. Pretty good wingers are on the hook – Mexican Tecatito and Spaniard Suso. Yes, there is information that De Jong, El Haddani, En-Nessery can leave the team. It was on the basis of these changes that the Spanish edition of Fichajes suggested that Sevilla would need Andrei.
But all these outgoers are forwards, strikers. Yarmola has not been positioned in this role for more than ten years, just since Gazzaev pushed him to the flank and Andrei realized himself as a winger.
Therefore, probability – 10%
Turkish Super League
- What gets? Good money and much less than in the Premier League, the pace of life and work.
- What is at risk? stability.
- Who is interested? Trabzonspor (1st place), Fenerbahce (2nd place), Galatasaray (13th place).
In terms of earnings, the Super Leagues are quite attractive – the leading players (mostly top veterans) receive good money. But there is one “but” – in general, clubs are rather unstable, there are non-payments of earnings, and even the giants are not sure of their success. As an example, Galatasaray – this season he fought quite for survival, avoiding relegation until the late phase of the season.
Abdullah Avchi, who leads the sensational champion Trabzonspor, has at his disposal such wingers as Gervinho, Nwakaeme, Kouassi, Vishcha, Erdogan and a few more forwards who can play from the flank. With an abundance of veterans over the age of 30 and more modest than those of the giants, this is not a club for Yarmolenko.
Fener with Ismail Kartal has Diego Rossi, Dimitrios Pelkas, Kurtulan, Kahvechi, Kapachak, but he would not refuse a sensible team. For example, the excellent 24-year-old Rossi actually belongs to Los Angeles FC. A club that pays an awesome salary to Mesut Ozil could carry the burden of a veteran from the Premier League.
Galatasaray is even more interested, eminent veterans Arda and Feguli have slowly slowed down, young Barish Ylmaz, Olympio Morutsan and especially Kerem Arturkoglu are quite promising, but so far unstable enough to rely on them for the entire distance. However, the failure last season raises the question of whether Andrei himself needs it.
In general, we consider the Turkish vector promising – the main thing is to combine the club’s ability to pay with its ambitiousness.
Therefore, probability – 45%
“Oil leagues”
- What gets? Money, money and more money.
- What is at risk? Difficulty adapting to a truly new culture and climate.
- Who is interested? Unnamed clubs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE.
Everything is clear here, like God’s day – they go to such championships for money, and local clubs willingly pay for a good name. Another thing is that Yarmolenko is still a player of local fame, he did not play in the Premier League for so long and certainly not as successfully as he could. Further, everything depends on the skill of the agents, however, we will not discard the option of earning extra money in the league of weak pace and good funding.
Therefore, probability – 30%
MLS
- What gets? Less money, but high living comfort.
- What is at risk? A little less “retirement benefit” than in some previous options.
- Who is interested? No specifics.
It is known that North American clubs willingly take veterans from Europe with great international experience. And the bonus in the situation with Yarmolenko is also the fact that he is adapted specifically in the UK, that is, in the USA or Canada, he will easily take root with knowledge of English and an understanding of the mentality of the English-speaking cultural environment.
It’s too bad that Andrey’s MLS rumors are vague – franchise clubs are usually pretty specific in their offers, so if it were that specific, we’d have heard locations, passwords and turnouts by now. It is also a feature – in the MLS there is a salary cap and quotas, relatively speaking, for star highly paid football players. So, when analyzing which club could take the Ukrainian collection, we must take into account this nuance.
But the main thing is that the USA and Canada are the countries of the “first world”. Living and working there is a pleasure, and the rapidly developing soccer industry can be not only financially attractive, but also sportingly attractive.
Therefore, probability – 30%
Ukraine
- What gets? Lifetime respect for Dynamo fans.
- What is at risk? stability and predictability.
- Who is interested? Dynamo (2nd place).
Ending a career at Dynamo and Desna is the most beautiful ring that Andriy Yarmolenko can really make in his career. But now is clearly not the time for that. Desna, in view of the catastrophic destruction of the city of Chernihiv, risks suspending performances altogether, while Dynamo retains Tsygankov and lets young people into the base. We do not understand whether holding the UPL in Ukraine is so realistic, and the entire success of the 2022/23 season in Ukrainian football depends on it.
So at the moment, especially having several options abroad, Yarmolenko is unlikely to be ready to return to Ukrainian football.
Therefore, probability – 15%
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So what’s next? Andriy Yarmolenko clearly explained what he would decide with the new club after the decisive matches of the national team. And no matter what Andrei decides, who had a very bright match against Scotland, we will continue to support him!
Yaroslav Smelyansky
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
