Srna: They wanted to sign Kevin a year ago, but Palmeiras refused

Sports director Shakhtar Darijo Srna spoke about the transfer of the Brazilian winger Kevin.

“We are very glad that we finally signed Kevin, because we wanted this a year ago: the player immediately agreed, but Palmeiras did not want to sell. And then a year passed and we signed Kevin. This is the player we need today, a young one who makes a very big difference on the pitch. He is very technical, has crazy speed, has short dribbling ability, and is excellent in the finishing phase. We are all very happy that he is finally with us and already training.”

“We will not disclose our transfer plans, but we are going to invest. We will invest in order to improve Ukrainian football and Shakhtar itself. All other clubs are also investing, for which we are very grateful to them – Alexandria, and Dnepr-1, and Mr. Butkevich and Polesie, and Dynamo, and Zarya, and Mr. Kozlovsky, who is building a very serious team. Together we can do what we need: a strong Ukrainian championship that will produce very great talents.”

“If you look at the Ukrainian national team today, all its players play in such leading clubs as Arsenal, Everton, Girona, Benfica, Chelsea. They all went through the Ukrainian championship, and we need a strong championship, a strong UPL. Therefore, I am grateful to everyone who puts their soul and heart, money and time into the development of Ukraine, into the development of Ukrainian football.”

Earlier, Shakhtar officially announced Kevin’s transfer. The club’s agreement with the football player is for 5 years. The Brazilian will wear number 37 for the Miners. He has already joined the team at the training camp in Turkey.

Shakhtar are in fourth place in the UPL, three points behind the leaders, but with two games in hand. The miners will play Marseille in the 1/16 finals of the Europa League in February. The team is currently at training camp in Belek, Turkey.