Dynamo Kyiv added forward Eric Ramirez, who played on loan at Slovan Bratislava, to the Ukrainian championship for the current season. Journalist Lukas Vrablik from the Slovak newspaper Denník N told about the reasons for the player's return to Kiev.
"From the very beginning, the arrival of Ramirez seemed a good and timely signing, because Slovan had problems in the position of central striker. There was the Serbian striker Ivan Šaponjic who came from Atletico, but he wasn't very good.
There was a big problem that the coach couldn't solve - how to influence play on the field. The arrival of Ramirez gave coach Vladimir Weiss another option. Ramires played particularly well in the Conference League playoffs against Zrinski Mostar, leading Slovan to the group round. Even there, Ramirez also got plenty of playing time.
He played pretty well, struggling mightily in head-to-head duels as well as in build-ups. He added a new flavor to Slovan's attack, even though in some games center-forward Chavric played winger and Ramires stayed in reserve.
So yes - he had pretty good stats [7 goals and 2 assists in 31 games - note]. Although I don't think seven goals is much of an indicator, given the fact that Slovan is stronger than most teams in the league and dominates here. Ramirez, you could say, was the most productive of the strikers.
The problems appeared in the winter - you should understand that. There were some management changes at the club and there were a lot of weird things going on. There were some playing changes as well. Seven or even nine new players left and three came. There was a funny situation with Ramirez: they expected him in spring, but he just didn't show up for the winter training of the team and stayed in Venezuela.
Coach Weiss complained about Ramirez not coming back. No one knew where he was or what was wrong with him. A few days later, materials surfaced stating that Slovan had ended their partnership with Ramirez. That was the end of his prospects with the team. Yes, he wasn't a mainstay, but I think the fans were quite happy with him in the fall, especially against Ivan Šaponjic. Overall, Ramirez may be considered one of the best additions to the lineup.
He was a stranger in the main roster, though. He came off the bench and sometimes scored important goals, but overall the bench was bloated. They bought Malik Abubakari instead of Ramirez, who showed himself well in the first games...", said Vrablik.