The famous manager and expert Vyacheslav Zakhovailo shared his thoughts on the transfer dealings of two Ukrainian giants — Kyiv’s Dynamo and Donetsk’s Shakhtar.
Vyacheslav Zakhovailo— This winter Vladimir Shepelev and Alexander Andriievskyi left Dynamo. Was their departure expected and justified or mistaken?
— These players did not fit into Dynamo’s plans for the reason that they did not align with the team’s playing concept. Each player had their own shortcomings that did not satisfy the head coach. Apparently, the president of the Kyiv club decided that the mentioned players were not for big tasks.
However, this does not mean that they are bad footballers. As we can see, Shepelev and Andriievskyi have fit into the games of Alexandria and Polissya, respectively. These teams, although lower in level, have shown in the initial rounds of the spring season that both players are already providing benefits. I repeat: they are quite good players. But not for Dynamo.
— Which positions, in your opinion, need strengthening in the capital club?
— It depends on which Dynamo we are talking about. One thing is needed for internal “consumption” in the Ukrainian championship, something quite different for performances on the European stage. Given that our championship has significantly “dropped” in recent years, strengthening is certainly needed, but not on too large a scale. After all, the players that are currently part of the Dynamo club look quite good.
However, for European cups — for the Conference League, Europa League, not to mention the Champions League — strengthening is necessary in practically all positions. And I say this without any sarcasm, without exaggeration. This is indeed the case. This is related to the fact that Dynamo currently has quite a few aged players — and if not today, then tomorrow they will “rust”. And some have already “rusted”. Therefore, competition is needed. If we think we can rely solely on the youth from Dynamo's trainees, that is a utopia. On the European stage, they will be slightly worse than the players from the roster we saw last autumn and this winter.
— What do you think is Dynamo's current budget?
— It’s hard for me to say. Given the absence of a transfer policy at the club, I think the budget is minimal. Maintaining infrastructure costs a lot, and regarding the salary list of the main team, that is the maximum minimum that Dynamo has had.
— How much can Dynamo spend on newcomers?
— This is no secret for anyone, and the president of the Dynamo club himself has talked about such matters. The Surkis brothers are not ready to invest money in transfer strengthening today. This is what Igor Surkis said, and it is clearly visible. While the war is going on in the country, they are completely unwilling to invest money in acquiring new players.
— This winter, foreign players arrived in Polissya and Kryvbas. How do you assess their level?
— Regarding the new foreigners of Polissya, Kryvbas, Karpaty, and several other teams, these are players of average level. And there are a huge number of offers for such players in Europe. At the moment, no player who values himself and has certain marketing and sports value is, unfortunately, going to Ukraine. Only those who can be called “improved consumer goods” are willing to come. And this is not just my opinion. It is the opinion of all those professionals who are watching the Ukrainian championship.
— What is the current transfer market like in Ukraine?
— It is hard to say about this since I see that football in Ukraine is now being managed by former journalists. Those who have no football education but possess beautiful words, and their speeches are simply superb. If we talk about the essence, then in our football, almost all clubs (I’m not talking about the giants) are predominantly managed by charlatans.
— Shakhtar is selling leaders. Have they reconciled themselves to losing first place to Dynamo?
— Unlike Kyiv’s Dynamo, Shakhtar has a transfer strategy. The Donetsk club pays close attention to how motivated their players are and how they develop. Those who the Shakhtar specialists believe are losing motivation and value leave “through the exit”. And this is the right logic. So, I can say that this club conducts its transfer policy consciously and professionally.
As for the developments in the Ukrainian championship, there are still ten rounds left — that’s 30 possible points. I think that any loss of tournament points will just raise the level of competition in the spring part of the season. If, say, the gap between Dynamo and Shakhtar decreases soon to, for example, 5 points, then considering the direct duel between these rivals at the end of April, this fact will cause Kyiv to feel not so much a panic, but a strong anxiety. This is due to the fact that while there seems to be a bench of reserves in Dynamo, there is no one to strengthen the game.
Speaking of Valerii Luchkevych's transfer to Dynamo, which was a true surprise, I can congratulate agent Vadym Shablіya. The player was not needed by anyone in Europe, but he was needed by Kyiv’s Dynamo. I wish him only success. Apparently, they know what they are doing.
— This winter three players from Shakhtar — Danylo Sikan, Taras Stepanenko, and Alexander Zubkov moved to Turkey, where they continue their careers. Why do you think the Turks have entered our market?
— They traditionally, one could say, graze on our market and pick what is poorly lying around. Mainly, these are free transfers or for some minimal amounts. And the fact that Shakhtar sold two of its players to Trabzonspor for 12 million euros is, I think, a great success. In general, Donetsk’s Shakhtar knows how to manage prices on the transfer market, and does so in a systematic way. The club received a historic maximum for the sold players, and I congratulate them on that.
Dmytro Oleynik
