Viktor Tsygankov scored three goals in the last two matches of the Ukrainian national team. The Girona midfielder scored a double against Germany and brought a victory over Northern Macedonia.
Viktor TsygankovA year ago, Tsygankov was in a situation where there were no bidders willing to pay €10 million for him. I think that today his price starts somewhere between 25-30 million euros. In the national team, I did not always find a place in the starting line-up. At Dynamo, he looked like a player who had reached his maximum.
It is equally important that Dynamo can get around €20 million for the player. Which seemed fantastic a year ago. Today, such money will be very important for the club.
The move to Girona changed everything. A stronger championship and the work of coach Mitchell turned Victor into a fairly high-quality player at the level of the leading championship. Only Valentin Castellanos' greed prevented Tsygankov from scoring at the Nou Camp. Very good matches against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Mitchell found a new position for him - attacking midfielder. He played the last two matches for the national team in this position. Working with the ball allows you to break the opponent's pressure. His speed and decision-making allow him to push the ball forward and make assists. It is very important that Tsygankov did not physically break down and added a lot in the defensive game.
Tsygankov may not have left Dynamo in a pretty way, but the Kyiv club received not only €5 million, but another 50 per cent of the next resale (according to some reports, excluding the €5 million paid for the transfer). Even this summer, Dynamo can get 10-20 million. Girona is a tangential part of the City Football Group (MS, Troyes, Bahia, Palermo, etc.), but it is a springboard for player development. They shine, and then try to make a business out of it. Rodrigo Riquelme, Tati Castellanos, Paulo Gassaniga are all loan players. It is very important to rely on full contracts.
There is such a rule in Croatia. It is not advisable to transfer local players to big clubs. Local football cannot prepare players for strong teams right away. A situation can arise that is very similar to Mykhailo Mudryk's problems. That's why you need to break into the top clubs through third clubs. There is a transfer fee plus a percentage of the sale. One of the main talents of Croatia, Josko Guardiola, was sold to Leipzig for 18-19 million, but there is still a percentage of the resale. Today, the Croatian defender is worth around 70-90 million euros. The story is somewhat similar with Dani Olmo, Lovro Meyer, and Christian Jakic. "Dinamo Zagreb gave these players everything possible, and then it was up to the adaptation clubs.
Today, the level of the UPL has dropped significantly. The season for Dinamo is not very successful. Hardly anyone is willing to pay much for players. The situation with Mudryk also played a role here (I'm sure that if he had joined Branford, he would now have a completely different status and level). An adaptation club in Europe would be very useful here. Rickelme did not need Atletico's first team. Castellanos did not do well in MLS. "Girona and Mitchell are very good at developing players. Tsygankov scored against the Macedonians the way Girona's coach taught him - from his flank, he ran in behind the defenders. This is how he scored in La Liga. In Spain, new opportunities opened up for him.
Zhora Bushchan is 29 years old. Ruslan Neshcheret is already starting to play in his position (he is gaining more and more experience). It would be great if Girona signed him for 6-10 million plus 20-30 per cent of further sales. If they don't agree on a new contract with Gassaniga (he is on loan from Fulham and his contract with the Cottagers runs until 1 July) or want to sell him, it would be a great option for Girona. The goalkeeper himself would get opportunities for growth. And Dynamo would get money for their asset and the prospect of earning more.
It's the same with Mykola Shaparenko. Thanks to his ball handling, he could play in Spain. Coach Mitchell could give a lot in terms of development and going beyond the possible limits. The solution to the problem is some money and a percentage of the sale. Both clubs and the player would benefit. Potentially, Mykola could play in a top-four team in Spain.
Such cooperation would be a good opportunity for the Catalans. Access to the Ukrainian football market. Every Spaniard who can hit the ball is worth millions. Brazilians and Argentines are not cheap either. That's why the club is looking for "downed pilots", renting players from the big boys.
It's clear that the world is not set in stone on Girona alone. There are players who can potentially play in other championships. But Spain is also important. Vlad Vanat or Anton Tsarenko are also close to Spanish football in terms of their playing qualities.
Serhii Tyshchenko
