The time has come for Bohdan Lednev and Serhiy Bulets to decide on their future. Both players are no longer young - 25 and 24 years old respectively. They have already grown out of the status of promising players. They both still have a year left on their current contracts with Dynamo.
Bohdan Lednev. Photo by O. PopovThe team's training camp in Austria is coming to an end. We need to decide on the players who will start the season. Insiders are already naming the first names that will go on loan.
I do not have an unambiguous position on Buletsa and Lednev. There are two opposing views on whether these players will stay at Dynamo next season.
Why Buletsa and Lednev should stay at Dynamo
Last season, Shakhtar won the league thanks to the depth of their squad. Igor Jovicevic had the best selection of players in the UPL. Ivan Petryak, Neven Dzurasek, Lucas Taylor, Andriy Totovytskyi and the like may not have played a significant role on the pitch, but they provided competition and depth to the squad. Jovetic always had the opportunity to rotate, to strengthen the game during the match.
For Dynamo, the presence of both players is a good option for the depth of the squad. Serhiy and Bohdan can cover several positions at once - attacking midfielder, inside back. The season is long, and you can't do without a dip in form, suspensions, and injuries. If Kyiv qualify for the LC group, they will have to play twice a week. You can't do without rotation.
Today, the market for players in the UPL is quite limited. There are virtually no quality Ukrainians available. Foreigners, if I agree to come, after a while not all of them can get used to the war and shelling. Money and prospects lose their meaning when it comes to one's own safety. Buletsa and Lednev are two quality players by the standards of today's UPL, they have spent many seasons in the league and were successful at Zorya. They do not need transfer money or great personal conditions.
Bulets is 24 years old, Lednev is 10 months older. Both players are entering their best years in football, when experience is multiplied by physical ability. If not now, at this age, to win the competition, then when? Bujalski is already 30 years old. He can't physically stand the whole match at the same level. We definitely need a substitute. If there is an injury, there must be a replacement. There is no one under Yarmolenko. The fate of Kahim Perris is uncertain. He did not prepare for the season with the team because he played for the Jamaican national team. If he does not return, Lednev looks like a more interesting alternative to Yarmolenko in terms of creativity than Karavaev.
Anton Tsarenko is just starting his way in big football. It is important for him to play now. A full season on loan could be a very good boost for Anton's career.
Why Buletsa and Lednev should leave Dynamo
Both are already around 25 years old. They have not played seriously. They are still considered promising. They were successful only at Zorya, when there was no competition and they had full trust in the head coach. The situation at Dynamo is a little different. Here, you need to adapt to certain schemes of play and win the competition. None of these players have ever won a competition there in their careers.
You can wait until you are 22 or 23 years old at the most. And then the player's level becomes obvious. Buletsa and Lednev have obvious problems with physics, anthropometry, and speed. These are players who have a certain level. It is good at the UPL level, but not for international matches. Keeping these players in the team is just a delay in solving the issue of melting down with them. In a year they will be older and their contracts will expire. Now you can get some money, and in a year they can leave for free (it's no big secret that Buletsa doesn't want to sign a new contract).
Lucescu is a very conservative coach. He does not abandon his postulates. Buletsa and Lednev did not work for him in training camp. Neither of them convinced me. I do not believe that in this situation, something can change for Mircea. The Romanian either trusts the player or not. None of the players have any prospects with Lucescu.
"Dynamo is trying to save money now. Everyone has read in the media about the reduction of wages. Now is not the time to inflate the team. Lednev and Buletsa are at the age when they should sign their best contracts financially. It is unlikely that Dynamo is ready to improve their financial conditions now. It's not even clear that they are ready to offer the same terms as they are now.
Tsarenko is inferior to Bulets and Lednev in terms of experience. Anton is not as versatile. Replacing Buyalsky means a lot of experience and the development of football qualities for him. Anton can and should be developed. In terms of his potential, he can surpass both of them over time.
Life does not end at Dynamo. Nazariy Rusyn, for example, failed to make a splash, but then proved himself to be a full-fledged player for another team. On the contrary, he was motivated to move on. To prove to everyone and himself that he could do it.
Instead of a conclusion.
I don't really believe that both players will spend the season at Dynamo. There is no need for that. The club will not just keep players now to save money. Buletsa and Lednev don't really deserve new contracts. If they are offered them, it is unlikely that the deals will suit the players in the light of finances. In Poland, Hungary, Belgium, you can earn no less. Now in Zhytomyr they offer good personal conditions.
The issue of players leaving Dynamo is a matter of appropriate offers. Buletsa was a leading player at Zorya. I think there will be some options for him. The player himself does not hide his desire to change clubs. He did not play, neither against the Young Boys nor against Aris. I understand that the issue here is the contract, or he does not fit Lucescu's vision. The chances of a transfer are quite high.
Lednev showed nothing in Fejervar. He missed the second part of the season due to injury. Accordingly, it will not be easy to find a new team for him. The only Ukrainian options are Vorskla, Zorya, Polissia (I would not rule out Zhytomyr's interest in Buletsa). Accordingly, Dynamo's chances of starting the season in the application look high.
Serhii Tyshchenko
