The former midfielder of the Ukrainian national team Yevhen Levchenko shared his thoughts on the transfer activity of Kyiv’s Dynamo and Donetsk’s Shakhtar.
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— Yevhen, was the transfer of Danilo Sikan from Shakhtar to Trabzonspor a surprise for you? Did Shakhtar not get enough for this player?
— Actually, it was a surprise. I understand that we always want our footballers to move to the top 5 best leagues in Europe. But, without speaking poorly of the Turkish league, this transfer was due to the fact that Sikan reached his limit at Shakhtar. And although he is 23 years old, he has played 130 matches, he had no further development prospects at Shakhtar. I think the miners are now setting themselves completely different tasks and will sign someone else.
Therefore, I suppose that at some point there was a mutual agreement between both the player and the club, represented by the coaching staff. Plus, I am very glad that our footballers are going abroad. Because now only in such a case do players open up prospects for development. Therefore, this is a win-win situation for both the player and the club.
On the other hand, Trabzonspor is not the club that fights for some medal positions. Of course, we always want our players to move to teams that are fighting for a place in European tournaments.
— There is also information that Trabzonspor is interested in another Shakhtar player, Oleksandr Zubkov, and Dynamo defender Denis Popov. Would moving to such a club be a step forward for these players?
— Zubkov is definitely a footballer who has made it; he has experience playing abroad. He has all the opportunities to play in a stronger league. Let’s be honest: the UPL is not progressing right now. And in the near future, it won’t. The very infrastructure for development in Ukrainian football is limping. Of course, this is related to the war and the fact that money in the country is going in a different direction. Thus, at any moment, you realize that with each passing season it becomes increasingly easier for players to play in such conditions.
So I would be happy if footballers and clubs come to a consensus like in the Netherlands or Belgium, where a player goes through the internal championship at the age of 21-22 and then moves abroad to a stronger league. I am glad that our clubs have started to let players go to strong leagues; there has finally come the understanding that it is better to let go for six million than for a player to sit, not play, and this will be a minus for all parties.
— Who do you think will be the next to leave the Ukrainian championship?
— I am just praying that Shaparenko and Matviyenko leave. But this is a saga that has been going on for many years. It seems to me that they have taken such root in their teams that perhaps no one wants to leave now. At the same time, those players are the ones you want to see in top leagues. Or at least not in top teams, but in top-level championships.
Plus, we all hope that Sudakov will leave. Because it is also very important not to overstay. Yes, there is the Champions League, but if there is no strong domestic championship, you will be degrading. Therefore, I would like Sudakov to take this step, especially since I know how ambitious he is about it. The main thing is that the club lets him go if there is a good offer.
Daniil Vereitin