Former defenseman for several KHL clubs Nikita Shchitov told that the attacker Damir Zhafiarov could not integrate into the game system Zinetuly Bilyaletdinov to Ak Bars.
Earlier, Ak Bars general director Marat Valiullin said in an interview with that the club was ready to trade Zhafyarov. The media considers Avangard to be the main suitor for the player.
This season in the KHL, Zhafyarov played 16 games for Ak Bars and scored 2 (1+1) points.
— Apparently, Zhafyarov aims to change the team. He works there with the agent. It is said that Zhafyarov will move to Avangard. It’s a good team, contender for the Gagarin Cup. Maybe Damir will find his old game again. There are other requirements, which are not the same as those of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov.
— Why didn’t it work for Zhafyarov in Ak Bars?
— Maybe he couldn’t fit into Bilyaletdinov’s system. Ak Bars has many star players on its roster. Zhafyarov is a dependent striker, he needs constant partners. Last season he looked great in SKA in a trio with Marat Khusnutdinov and Marat Khairullin. It happens that a player, after joining another team, does not enter the coach’s system and cannot play with new partners. It’s good. Zhafyarov will be able to reveal his qualities at Avangard. He’s a great player and he proved it at Torpedo.
— Is it difficult to rejoin the team after a trade?
— All hockey players are used to such situations. The players in the league all know each other well, so adapting to Omsk won’t be a problem for Zhafyarov. Besides, he is a master, he will just need to get used to new partners in a few matches,” Shchitov told .
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Source : MatchTV
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