Famous coach Vladimir Sharan shared his thoughts on the transfer of Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarny from English Bournemouth to French PSG.
Vladimir Sharan— Vladimir Bogdanovich, what are your emotions about Ilya Zabarny moving to PSG?
— Let’s say it took a bit longer than expected. The transfer could have happened earlier. But I believe it’s fair in the sense that Ilya has definitely improved. He deserves to step up and also test his level in a team that has become the Champions League winner. He deserves to test his level in the best team in Europe!
— The transfer fee for Ilya from Bournemouth was 67 million euros! For a defender, that’s a really high level?
— I think so, of course. Liverpool bought Van Dijk in 2018 for about 85 million euros! At that time, it was considered a significant price for a central defender. But Klopp then said he needed that player. And Van Dijk really justified that investment. Prices have indeed gone up since then, but 67 million euros for a central defender is definitely considered a high price.
So one can say that Zabarny’s game has been highly valued. Especially since he is young and promising. He still has everything ahead of him. He will gain even more experience. I think he will definitely progress at PSG. But for that, he needs to play! He will first need to adapt to the new team. However, people who spend such money know what they are doing. Because they are counting on Ilya.
— And with such a club, many titles can be won!
— Yes! Of course. For a Ukrainian player, this is a very significant progress. This is also very significant progress for all of Ukraine!
Dmitry Kotkov
