Advance game: how Karpin and Slutsky strengthen Rostov and Rubin before the offseason

Rubin’s problems on the left flank of the defense and the lack of an alternative to Rostov’s attack

“Rostov” and “Rubin” were the first of the RPL clubs to strengthen in anticipation of the new season. Two rounds before the finish of the current championship of Russia, the roster of teams officially replenished five players. Midfielders Kento Hashimoto and Konstantin Kovalev, as well as forward from Northern Macedonia, David Toshevsky, will begin the new season in Rostov-on-Don. 

The club from Kazan signed an agreement with defender Mikhail Merkulov and striker of the youth national team of Russia Kirill Kosarev. At the same time, according to media reports, in the coming days, the ex-forward of Orenburg, George Despotovich, will become Rubin's footballer. Also, at the end of the season, Leonid Slutsky’s team can be replenished by midfielder Oleg Shatov, whose contract with Zenit will expire. 

The fact that Rostov and Rubin were the first to start the summer transfer company should not be surprising, because both teams are currently experiencing certain staffing difficulties. The main problems of Kazan concern the left flank of defense. In the first part of the season, the former head coach of the team, Roman Sharonov, used Daniil Stepanov and then Nikolai Poyarkov in this position. 

However, with the arrival of Slutsky, both players were in stock. In their place, the specialist began to put Alexander Zuev, who was rented from Rostov, who had not played defense before. A pupil of Chertanovo, accustomed to acting closer to the attack, in the first matches in the new position did not look very confident, but added after a pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

At the end of the season, Alexander will expire the lease with Rubin, and he will have to return to Rostov. Accordingly, the team needed reinforcement for this position. 

The newcomers to Rubin and the line of attack were required. In winter, the club bought Ivan Ignatiev’s transfer from Krasnodar for € 7 million (according to Transfermarkt), but the 21-year-old striker in nine games in the new team did not score a single goal, although he regularly got a place in the starting lineup. The rented from Dynamo Evgeni Markov Slutsky let out only for replacement. He has scored five goals in the current RPL season. 

Rostov is also experiencing problems in the attack. After returning from the rental of Björn Sigurdarson, Valery Karpin can rely only on Eldor Shomurodov. Young Alexander Dolgov and Danila Proshlyakov, coming on as a substitute, have shown that they are not yet able to replace the Uzbek striker. The same Proshlyakov, having appeared on the field in the second half of the match with Arsenal, received two yellow cards and was deleted. 

As a result, after the resumption of the season, Karpin’s wards scored only five goals in six games, and one of them chalked up the young pupils of the club in a game with Sochi. 

Purchase of a Japanese opornik and transfer of Macedonian talent 

Those three acquisitions that Rostov has already made should be considered future transfers. However, the 26-year-old Japanese Kento Hashimoto can be called quite an experienced and versatile performer. The player has spent the last five years in the Japanese Premier League - the J1 League, defending the colors of Tokyo. Hashimoto also played seven matches for the national team. Last year, the footballer was regularly called up to the national team, although he did not qualify for the America's Cup. 

Kento's main position is a defensive midfielder. Moreover, he can play a little higher in the center of the field, as well as in the center of defense. Hashimoto can be seen as a replacement for Matthias Norman if he leaves the team. For the Japanese, Rostov paid € 800 thousand (according to Transfermarkt).

Rostov spent an even larger sum on the acquisition of 18-year-old talented striker from Northern Macedonia, David Toshevsky - € 1 million (also according to Transfermarkt). According to media reports, “Lille”, “Genoa”, “Anderlecht”, “Monaco” and “Inter” claimed for the forward. Allegedly, the Rostovites were helped by a personal communication with Karpin. 

At the same time, the young player made his debut in the elite division of the Macedonian championship only this season. In 21 matches in the “Rabotnichkov” team, the footballer scored five goals and gave three assists. In his 18 years, David is distinguished not only by a strong blow, physical strength and a good head game with a growth of 1 meter and 86 centimeters, but also by excellent technique and excellent scoring flair.

Finally, the 20-year-old defender Konstantin Kovalev became the third rookie of Rostov. The young footballer had previously played for the Kursk Avangard, which in May voluntarily dropped into the PFL from the FNL. In the sub-elite league, Kovalev managed to spend 18 matches and scored one goal. 

A young workable winger who can close the entire right brow can be considered as a replacement for 33-year-old Alexei Kozlov. The former defender of the Russian national team this season is indispensable in Rostov, but due to his age, he does not support attacks very actively. On average, he performs only 0.7 key passes per match in the RPL and makes 0.8 cross. For comparison, Yevgeny Chernov, who is acting on the opposite edge, has these indicators - 1.3 and 2.3, respectively.

Signing a contract with Merkulov and substantive interest in Despotovich 

If Rostov has already spent almost € 2 million on transfers, it is reported that Rubin has so far signed contracts exclusively with free agents. In particular, the composition of the Kazan team was replenished by Mikhail Merkulov. At the end of May, an agreement with Ural ended with the left-back, and he almost immediately found a new club. 

The 26-year-old Merkulov, who was called to the Russian national team, looks like the perfect option for Slutsky. He is discreet, but reliable in defense. In the current RPL draw on his account an average of 2.8 selections per game, 2.1 interceptions and 1.1 wrestling won. At the same time, Mikhail is not so active in the attack. For four seasons in the RPL, he scored only one point for performance and still has not scored a single goal in his career. 

However, it is precisely such a reliable footballer that Slutsky needs to insure on the left edge of the tech Khvich Kvaratskheli, who does not always have time to work on the defensive. 

But the 18-year-old striker of the youth team of Russia Kosarev is unlikely to strengthen the team in the near future. The young pupil of “Wings of the Soviets” so far only played at the PFL level. At the same time, in the third strongest division of the country, the forward made his debut at the age of 15. In August last year, Kosarev rented Zenit-2 from Murom, but six months later he returned the player back. 

But in the youth team of Russia, Cyril really stands out. In nine matches, he scored four goals, including scoring a double in a duel with France (3: 3). 

However, Rubin may not stop at Kosarev and Merkulov. According to media reports, in the coming days, another striker will sign a contract with the club - George Despotovich. Until June, the Serb played for Orenburg, which included eight goals in the RPL and one in the Russian Cup. In the summer, the forward became a free agent. 

The footballer posted on Instagram a photo in which he signs certain documents.

“Russia, we will see each other again,” reads the accompanying text.  

View this Instagram post

Publication from 9espot (@ ddespot92) Jul 13, 2020 at 8:36 am PDT

Serb can become a serious strengthening for Kazan, because by some indicators, he is still one of the best RPL players, for example, by the number of shots per match - 3.7. Also, the striker is great in the fight on the second floor. According to this indicator, with 5.8 martial arts won, he is in second place in the league, second only to Rostov defender Dmitry Chistyakov (7.1). 

In addition to Despotovich, at the end of the season, midfielder Oleg Shatov, who ends the contract with Zenit, can sign an agreement with Rubin. An experienced universal footballer who is able to play in almost any position in the center of the field will be a reinforcement for the team. Moreover, Slutsky is well acquainted with the player in the Russian national team.

The economical campaign of “Rubin” and transfers of “Rostov” “for growth” 

If Despotovich and Shatov really replenish the composition of Rubin, the club’s transfer campaign can already be called successful. Indeed, in this case, four football players from Kazan will receive for free as free agents. 

However, strengthening the team may still be needed. Firstly, Slutsky lacks a destroyer in the support zone. In winter, Dmitry Tarasov signed an agreement with Rubin, but he soon received a broken leg. The 33-year-old Russian champion recovered from his injury, but his age and health problems affect his game. 

Secondly, at the moment, six rented football players are in the team at once. Among them are the main central defender Pablo Santos, key midfielder Oliver Abilgor and the already mentioned Zuev with Markov. If all of them leave Rubin at the end of the season, Slutsky’s coaching staff may face serious problems. 

The transfer campaign of Rostov still looks less impressive. As already mentioned, all three newcomers are taken rather for the future. If Tashevsky immediately fails to prove himself in Russia, the yellow-blue will need to find a more experienced striker to help Shomurodov. 

At the same time, Karpin can only hope that the Uzbek, along with Norman, will not leave the team in the coming months, but will play with her in European competitions. 

But the third key performer in the central axis of “Rostov” defender Chistyakov received a severe knee injury, because of which he may miss up to six months. In this regard, the player in the center of defense is needed in yellow-blue, since at the moment Karpin can only rely on Maxim Osipenko and Dennis Hadzhikadunich.