This season, Vladyslav Kabaev has lost his status as a leading player for Dynamo. In 13 matches this season, the winger has not made any scoring contributions. He has no goals or assists. Although not long ago, Vlad was one of the team’s leaders.
Vladyslav Kabaev. Photo — Yu. YurievOn September 1st, Kabaev turned 30. The former winger of Chornomorets and Zorya had a hard start in Kyiv. Benjamin Verbic left Dynamo, and a replacement was needed. Due to the war, the choice of players was limited, so the choice fell on Kabaev. Vladyslav took quite some time to adapt to the new football in the capital but eventually opened up. He even earned a call-up to the Ukrainian national team despite the presence of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Viktor Tsyhankov, Oleksandr Zubkov, and Andriy Yarmolenko on the wings.
The decline in Dynamo’s level due to the loss of leading players (Tsyhankov, Zabarnyi) and Oleksandr Shovkovskyi’s trust made Kabaev one of the team’s leaders. However, Vladyslav couldn’t stay at this level for long.
This season, Kabaev is frankly disappointing. He lost his place in the starting lineup, injuries began, and there are no scoring contributions. Newcomer Shola Ogundana looks not only more promising, considering the 10-year age difference, but also more interesting. Shola virtually immediately became a key player. Fast, technical, ready to take charge. The main thing is he can still progress and develop. This is far from his limit.
It seems that Kabaev has already peaked physically and in terms of performance. There are significant doubts that he can bring something new to the team or at least return to last year’s level. His contract with the capital club ends at the end of the season. There are certain doubts about extending it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dynamo bids farewell to the player in winter to earn some transfer money.
Serhiy TYSHCHENKO
