After Oleksandr Shovkovskyi was appointed head coach of Dynamo Kyiv, they conceded only two goals in four matches (in the match against Metalist-1925, Kharkiv scored everything they created). However, under the previous coach, Mircea Lucescu, they conceded in almost every round and the defence was very vulnerable.
Denys Popov. Photo by Yuriy YurievThe main defenders were the Dyachuk-Sirota pair. Although at the start of the season, both looked very unconvincing and made many mistakes. After Shovkovskyi's arrival, both of them gained in reliability. Dyachuk even scored his first goal at the UPL level.
Popov missed the end of the season due to injury. There was no information about his injury. There were only photos from the gym. In the UPL, Denys has played only 8 matches out of 14.
Popov is the oldest of all four defenders. He will be 25 years old in mid-February. Unfortunately, there is no sign of stability and class yet. Due to injuries, Denys continues to miss a lot of games.
He has been in the first team on a regular basis since 2019. After the matches against Copenhagen, it seemed that Denys's departure to the Premier League was only a matter of time. But somehow it did not go further. The instability and history of injuries have not allowed him to develop all his talents so far.
Over the past six months, there have been rumours of interest in Popov from Turkish clubs. There were talks about Fiorentina, Bordeaux, Reims, Rennes, Udinese, Stuttgart. There were not so many rumours about any other central defender.
There is no smoke without fire. Popov's contract with Dynamo is valid until 30 September 2025 (Transfermarkt indicates this date). There is not much left. "Dynamo needs to decide whether to extend the contract or sell the player.
Not long ago, Dynamo swapped an experienced player for a younger one. As a result, the Kyiv club received an investment of its own player (the possibility of selling him in the future for good money), a reduction in the salary bill and new opportunities. I'm referring to the transfer of Serhiy Sydorchuk to Westerlo and the bet on Vladimir Brazhko. The former club captain had more qualifications, experience, but not prospects. Brazhko can potentially be very expensive. We didn't lose much in terms of quality. Today, this decision looks absolutely right. I think that very soon Volodymyr will replace Serhiy at the national team level.
In the summer, we thought that Dynamo would say goodbye to Oleksandr Andrievskyi or Volodymyr Shepelev for the sake of Brazhko's prospects and playing time, but we sold not the rotation players, but the main player. They opened the way for Brazhko to join the first team.
Dyachuk and Popov are very similar players. They are power defenders. Only there is a difference of almost 4 years between them. Denys is more experienced, but Maksym has more prospects. Dyachuk doesn't have many injuries. As far as I understand, Shovkovskyi sees a prospect in Maksym's development.
Lucescu tried to play the Dyachuk-Popov pairing. They are very similar to each other. It seemed that Denys was a little uncomfortable at left centre-back. Now Oleksandr Syrota is showing himself well. He has a good left foot, works well with the ball and has a long pass.
Let's not forget that in the summer, Dynamo was actively looking for a centre-back. I am sure that there are various developments on transfers. Perhaps we will have a new centre-back in the winter. Let's not forget that Taras Mikhavko is in the youth team. He has shown progress in six months under Ihor Kostiuk. He won the competition in the team with Yehor Syzonyuk, Maksym Korobov and Vladyslav Zakharchenko. He became the main player of the 2005 national team. You need to give your own young people a chance. Plus, the captain of the double, Nazar Balaba, hasn't gone anywhere.
Today, Popov can be sold for the most expensive price among all four available defenders. He has been in the first team for 5 years. During this time, he played twice in the CL and won the UPL. It is unlikely that he will be able to learn something new in Ukraine in terms of football. If he wants to develop, he needs new challenges. Perhaps, like Viktor Tsygankov, this will help him solve the problem of injuries and restart his career.
Serhii Tyshchenko
