Ukrainian midfielder Denys Kozhanov, who announced his retirement, summed up his years as a player.
- "I could probably have played in better teams. If I didn't have such a long-term contract with Shakhtar. I had options, but Shakhtar did not sell. There was no war then and the most realistic option was Krasnodar. Kononov hadn't left yet, but he was supposed to go there, and I had already spoken to the president. They just didn't sell it, that's all.
The contract was more favourable there, of course. But first of all, I understood that Kononov was going there. If he takes me, I will play. Plus, there is an attitude there - the sporting director flew to Kyiv, we talked, the president called almost every other day. The transfer price was 2 million. They offered more than 2 million, but Shakhtar said no. I called Palkin and asked: "Why don't you want to sell me?" He said: "The president said: "You are not for sale,"" Brutal Football quoted Denis as saying.