One of the leading players of “Zenith” Daler Kuzyaev moved to the French “Havre”

One of the leading players of Zenit, Daler Kuzyaev, who became a five-time national champion in its composition, moved to the French Le Havre. Apparently, another key player in the middle line of the St. Petersburg club, Wendel, is set to change the situation, and such losses can already seriously weaken the leader of the Russian Premier League. In addition, the possibility that Malcolm and Claudinho will leave Zenit in the current transfer window cannot be ruled out.

Daler Kuzyaev has long wanted to try himself in a strong European championship, and his dream has finally come true. The French Ligue 1, of course, is not the coolest, but it is in the top 5, and its flagship is the giant of world football – PSG. True, Kuzyaev signed a contract with a modest Le Havre. The club from Normandy, although it is considered the oldest in France, since it was formally founded in 1872, has long been in the backyard, registered in the second division for a long time and only last season achieved a promotion.

At the rate Transfermarkt, the total cost of the Le Havre squad is only €31.45 million, and even taking into account Kuzyaev, who turned out to be the most expensive player in the team, and by a wide margin, with a price tag of €10 million. For comparison: Monaco, for which another Russian performs – Alexander Golovin, surpasses Le Havre in this indicator by almost ten times. So, based on the financial capabilities of the club, Kuzyaev in the upcoming championship of France, most likely, will face a struggle for survival.

Although it seems that Toulouse also claimed the Zenit player, which won the national cup and a ticket to the Europa League. And Kuzyaev was also invited to the Hungarian Ferencvaros, which is now fighting in the Champions League qualification, and the Turkish Besiktas, which will also participate in European competition. But the 30-year-old midfielder of the Russian national team made his choice, becoming the third representative of Russian football in the top five European leagues, along with the same Golovin and Alexei Miranchuk, who play in Italy.

Taking into account the merits of Kuzyaev, who gave Zenit six years and made a significant contribution to winning five league titles, in St. Petersburg reacted calmly to the desire of the football player to continue his career abroad and were ready for his departure.

However, the problem is that Wendel suddenly wanted to change the situation, another important element of the Zenith system, on which, like Kuzyaev, its uninterrupted and efficient functioning largely depended. While the graceful Malcolm and Claudinho worked, the same Wendel and Kuzyaev, led by Wilmar Barrios, performed the main rough work in midfield, and on occasion they themselves played well on the notorious piano. If, at the same time, Vendel is removed from this structure, following Kuzyaev, then it may well crack. Actually, in recent pre-season matches with Red Star and Fenerbahce, the St. Petersburg residents have already faced noticeable game difficulties in their absence.

However, Wendel, unlike Kuzyaev, has not yet found himself a new team. However, he defiantly neglected his contractual obligations and did not come to the training camp. As a result, the Brazilian decided to return to Zenit, but the question of where he will spend next season still remains, apparently, open. It is possible that now the attitude towards Wendel in the club will change, and if he is not sold, he will be leased. Such information has already appeared in the media with reference to the Brazilian journalist Julio Miguel Neto.

It is possible that Zenit believes that they will manage without Wendel. Indeed, why keep a demotivated footballer.

But the Petersburgers may not keep Claudinho and Malcolm, which will completely undermine the combat effectiveness of the Russian champion. The famous Flamengo are showing persistent interest in the first, which, according to Brazilian sources, offered €15 million plus bonuses for it. And the second, according to agent Timur Gurtskaya, is allegedly invited to Saudi Arabia for a fat contract of €10–12 million a year. At the same time, the transfer amount is estimated at € 50 million. In principle, it is no secret that Malcolm is also on the pencil of reputable European clubs. In the winter transfer window, he almost jumped to PSG.

Alexander Ilyin