With the onset of the off-season in Russian football, Krasnodar began the restructuring of the main team

Five have already left

The day after losing in the Russian Cup Superfinal, the Bulls went on vacation. The only exceptions were those who were called up to the national teams of their countries. Eduard Spertsyan and Georgy Harutyunyan went to the location of the Armenian national team, Junior Alonso – to the Paraguay national team, Kevin Lenini – to Cape Verde, and Batchi – to Angola. The team will meet in Krasnodar on June 29. “Citizens” will undergo a medical examination, and from the first of July they will start training at the “Chetuk” base in Adygea. The collections will return to the club a little later. All pre-season training of Krasnodar will take place at its own base.

The Russian Championship 2023/24 will start at the end of July. It is already clear that by the beginning of the season, Krasnodar will have a completely new team. What caused the restructuring, no one in the club reports. Perhaps this is the requirement of the head coach, who wants to create a team that matches his ideas. The initiator of the restructuring of the composition may well be the owner of the club – Sergei Galitsky. And there may not always be only football reasons. One thing is clear: the “bulls” are waiting for cardinal changes. This is already a fact.

Immediately after the match at Luzhniki, three of the city’s players admitted that they would leave the club. And all of them regularly got into the base. Midfielder Alexei Ionov announced his departure. The player admitted that the parties failed to agree on a new contract. Most likely, Ionov was not opposed to continuing to play in Krasnodar, but the club considered that it no longer needed the services of a 34-year-old football player. Everything is more or less clear here. Krasnodar often tried to rejuvenate its squad, including its pupils in the main team. So Ionov’s departure fits into the general concept of the club’s development. With a high degree of probability, the midfielder will return to Rostov, for which he played from 2017 to 2020.

The other one who will definitely leave Krasnodar is defender Alonso. The Paraguayan did not play in Russia all last year, after the events in Ukraine, he took advantage of the right granted by UEFA to legionnaires in Russia and suspended the contract. Unlike many foreigners, the footballer returned to the “bulls” in the winter. In the rest of the season, he consistently played at the base, but after the super final at Luzhniki, he announced that he would leave Russia. The contract between the defender and the club is valid until June 30, 2025. Most likely, Krasnodar will try to sell Alonso. But it is possible that the agreement will simply be terminated ahead of schedule. The management of the club has done this many times before.

Alonso is thirty years old – a great age for a defender. His transfer fee is seven million euros and continues to rise. There were no obvious complaints about the game. What could be the reasons for the breakup, it is difficult to say. Perhaps they want to give his place to a young pupil. It is possible that the player is not suitable for Ivic. There may be other, less obvious reasons. One thing is clear: Alonso will not play for Krasnodar next season.

Unexpected was the recognition after the superfinal of the Russian Cup striker Olakunle Olusegun that he would definitely leave. The Nigerian moved to the base from the “youth team” at the beginning of last year, when all the legionnaires left the team. In fact, he proved that he rightfully enters the field in the first team. Olusegun looked great last autumn, but passed a little in the spring. Yes, it was after Olusegun’s miss in the penalty shootout that CSKA became the owner of the Russian Cup, but everyone understands how big a role chance plays in breaking penalty kicks. The striker himself said that he was going to try himself in Europe, while the “bulls” are a passed stage. The media said that the 21-year-old Nigerian was interested in clubs in France.

The club signed an agreement with Olusegun until the end of June 2026. So far, the departure of a young and promising striker is difficult to explain. The club itself has not yet announced this.

Even before the end of the Russian championship, defender Christian Ramirez told reporters that he would leave the Bulls. The football player said that he would like to return to Ecuador with his family. Ramirez has been playing for Krasnodar for more than six years, so his explanation can be trusted. The defender even received a Russian passport so as not to be considered a legionnaire. The contract with the 28-year-old player runs until June 2025. Ramirez’s current transfer fee is five million euros. Most likely, the departure of a football player is a long-term decision.

All of the above decisions can be considered quite reasonable if the townspeople make room for their pupils. But the departure of 22-year-old Vyacheslav Litvinov was unexpected. “Krasnodar” officially announced the transfer of a pupil of his academy. Next season, Litvinov will play in Sochi. True, the “bulls” have the option of buying back the player. Litvinov played 36 matches for the main team, scoring two goals. True, with the advent of Ivic, he often played for the second team. Perhaps the defender did not fit the coach, which is quite normal. But still, it is surprising how easily Krasnodar releases its pupils. Litvinov’s contract with Sochi is for two years. Perhaps this is a good option for a footballer to prove himself, especially since he will be, as they say, in plain sight.

And what about the leaders?

At the end of June, Sergey Petrov’s contract expires. Now it was guarded by Krasnodar, although the football player is still 32 years old. Ivic tried to take a fresh look at Petrov. In particular, he played several games not in the usual right-back position, but as a passer. In the center, the player looked good, and Ivic publicly expressed his satisfaction with his game, but, most likely, Petrov will leave the team. Also, the agreements end with the pupils of Krasnodar Sergey Volkov and Oleg Isaenko. But their club is clearly going to save.

Perhaps the main question is whether the leader of Krasnodar Spertsyan will remain in the team. There are a lot of rumors surrounding the midfielder’s departure. The most obvious next football club is Ajax Amsterdam. Spertsyan is constantly asked questions about this. The player has so far refused to comment on his transition. At the same time, it is felt that the player clearly wants to try his hand in Europe. Rumor has it that he dreams of Italy, but the Dutch club is a great option to start a career in Europe.

At first glance, it seems that Spertsyan’s departure is a settled matter. But here everything can rest against the position of the club. Now the midfielder’s contract with Krasnodar is valid until June 2026. The transfer fee of the football player is twelve million euros (the most expensive player in the team after Matvey Safonov), and it continues to grow. Perhaps the club is ready to part with the player, but will wait for the player’s price to increase.

There are rumors in the media about John Cordoba leaving Krasnodar. The Colombian finished the season as the team’s top scorer in both the Russian Championship (fourteen goals) and the Russian Cup (seven goals). In the last tournament, he became the best goalscorer, and in the Russian Premier League he took fourth place. Cordoba regularly appeared in the first team. But at the same time, his transfer value has fallen markedly. Now the football player is estimated at eleven million euros. The contract with the player is valid until June 2025, and with a high degree of probability he is gorgeous for a striker. Cordoba is the most expensive player in the history of Krasnodar. But there are rumors in the media that clubs from Germany and Turkey are actively poaching the forward. With Russia currently not playing in European competition, the Colombian player’s decision to leave Krasnodar is understandable. Although he is unlikely to receive such a salary as in Russia in Europe. So the transition will most likely depend on how good conditions offer Cordoba. As long as he stays on the team.

There are active rumors about Kaio leaving Krasnodar. There were many complaints about the football player in his first year of appearance in the “black-green”. But time has shown that, although completely unexpected mistakes can be expected from the Brazilian, it is very difficult for his opponent to pass. Therefore, if Kayo was not injured, he regularly went to the base. Perhaps Ivic wants to strengthen the center of defense – then the Brazilian will have to leave. There are rumors about the departure of other players, but so far these conversations are not worth going into them.

Should we expect serious transfers from Krasnodar? Most likely no. It is unlikely that the “bulls” will be able to convince good players playing in Europe to move to the Russian championship, which is unknown when it will play in European competition. And Krasnodar does not like to overpay. Nevertheless, the bulls have already announced the first transition. Defender Alexander Ektov moved from Orenburg to Ivic’s team.