The legendary midfielder of Dynamo Kyiv, former head coach of this club and the national team of Ukraine Leonid Buryak commented on two high-profile transfers of Ukrainian football: Viktor Tsygankov to Spanish Girona and Mikhail Mudryk to London Chelsea.
Leonid Buryak. Photo — O.Vasilyeva"This is not the last Tsygankov team in Europe"
- The leader of Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukrainian national team, Viktor Tsygankov, has moved to the 11th Spanish team at the moment - is this normal?
- There are so many things in this transfer... I know that there were difficult negotiations with Girona, but in the end Tsygankov ended up in a strong European league. Victor is very happy, just look at him - he smiles, hugs everyone, thanks Girona for such a decision. I believe that everything is fine, and I am sure that this is not the last team of Tsygankov in Europe.
— How suitable is the style of Spanish football for Victor? In the Premier League, where they play harder, it would certainly be difficult for him...
- Tsygankov is a very talented football player who was the main player in Dynamo Kiev and played in the Ukrainian national team. In La Liga, first of all, they play modern football, and Girona is not the last and far from the worst Spanish team. But, I note that there is no soft football in Spain... Once upon a time, the opinion reigned that the Brazilians were apologists for the soft style in football, but in fact it is the Brazilians who can hit the legs like no one else!
As for football played by Spanish teams, I personally know well what it is. When I played for Dynamo, we often traveled to Spain for various tournaments, played against giants - Real Madrid, Atlético and other clubs. In Spain, football is a whole science. There we realized how difficult it was when we went out to play against constantly motivated opponents, who were furiously supported by full stands, in matches that started at 23.00 our time.
— Will Tsygankov cope with all this?
- If he left not only to earn money, but also set high goals for himself, then he will certainly cope. Victor could have left for Europe earlier, but the available offers did not suit him, and no one could force him. Of course, only time will put everything in its place. I like Uli Hoeneß's statement about Bayern's transfer policy when he told me: the boy who would be worth 100 million euros in football has not yet been born...
— How important is it that this is a full-fledged transfer, and not a lease?
- And who would be interested in renting now, when there are four months left before the end of the current season? It's good that it happened, and Tsygankov is really happy, because he wanted it that way.
- Is this a significant loss for Dynamo?
- Very serious. He scored a lot as a midfielder. Dynamo lost a ready-made master. Victor was met halfway, but it was necessary. Now it takes time to prepare a replacement for him, time to look for talent.
“It will be difficult for Mudrik in the Premier League”
- Did the transfer of another Ukrainian star - Mikhail Mudryk to Chelsea surprise you? To what extent does Chelsea's playing philosophy suit the former Shakhtar player?
- It would have been difficult to answer this two or three years ago, when Chelsea showed great football and won the Champions League. While this London club has a lot of problems, it is fifth or sixth in the Premier League, and everyone wants to take away points from it. But the squad at Chelsea is strong and, in addition to Mudrik, they plan to buy more players. I think it will be difficult for Mudrik in the Premier League, but for starters, the same Arsenal would be a more convenient team for Mikhail.
- Arsenal fans now consider Mudrik a traitor and predict difficult times in the league for him...
- Of course, it's unpleasant. Fans should understand that everything was decided by money. Chelsea and Arsenal have a difficult relationship, so the situation with the transfer of Mudrik has affected the Blues fans to the core. These are emotions. But in his opening matches in England, Mikhail will need to go through this, there's nothing to be done. In the Premier League, you should not count on a condescending attitude, you need to be a real man.
Mudrik's long-term contract really means nothing - it could be anything. If anything goes wrong, Mikhail will be sent on loan. Chelsea is not a charitable foundation. They can be patient only at the beginning, but they will still expect 15 goals scored from Mudrik.
- Has Shakhtar become weaker with the departure of Mykhailo Mudryk?
— Yes, this is a significant loss. Shakhtar, like Dynamo, will need time to find an equivalent replacement. Each player like Tsygankov or Mudryk is worth its weight in gold in Ukraine.
"Rakitsky is not a child... But Dovbik needs to grow up"
— The Pitmen are already trying to compensate for the loss — Rakitskiy has returned to the team. How to properly sign a player with such a background?
- He left Russia as soon as it launched a full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Everything he could at that moment, he did. Rakitskiy returned to Shakhtar from the Turkish Championship. He did a lot in his time for the Pitmen and for the Ukrainian national team.
Regarding the form of Rakytskyy, this should be assessed by the coach, they were counting on something when they signed him and they knew that there were talented young defenders in Shakhtar... Rakytskyy is not a child, and he understands that he was not taken in order to just get a job. I do not rule out that he will be able to return to the Ukrainian national team.
- Dnipro-1, unlike Dynamo and Shakhtar, never sold Artem Dovbik. Is this the right move?
- Hard to say. Who knows what will happen at the end of this UPL season? I know that other clubs were interested in Dovbik. Of course, it's about the price. Probably, this was not the money that Dnepr-1 wanted to receive. Dovbik, of course, wants to move to a strong championship, to understand what he is capable of. But for what amount to sell it, who knows?.. Artem needs to change the team, he needs to grow professionally, but not to go to the Turkish championship, although there are strong clubs there. I think the sooner Dovbik follows the path of Mudrik and Tsygankov, the better.
Oleg Semenchenko
