Fyodor Smolov will continue his career in Spain. The forward of the Moscow Lokomotiv will spend the next six months on a leasehold basis at Celta. According to media reports, the guaranteed payout for a player’s transfer will be € 600 thousand, but at the same time, the club from Vigo will receive the priority right to buy the player. A full-fledged transfer will cost "heavenly" in the amount of about € 6 million.
At the same time, it became known that more than one Spanish club was interested in the services of the Russian striker. According to media reports, in addition to Celta, Villarreal claimed for Smolov, for which his compatriot Denis Cheryshev had previously advocated. However, it is noted that Fedor himself rejected the offer of the eighth examples team and decided to join the 18th, which is now fighting for survival in the leading Spanish league.
Smolov’s departure was commented on by the head coach of the country's vice champion Yuri Semin. According to the expert, the transfer of Fyodor to Celta was the general decision of the player, the coaching staff and the leaders of Lokomotiv.
“Smolov himself wanted to try his hand at Europe. We gave the go-ahead. This will be a lease with further repurchase. There is nothing unexpected ... Fyodor has long wanted to accept a new challenge, to try himself in the West. If he passes the examination tomorrow, then he will leave, ”Semin told Sport Express.
According to the trainer's mentor, for Smolov, moving to a foreign championship was a long-awaited chance to show himself in Europe. A possible transfer of the striker to one of the top championships of the Old World was mentioned back in 2017 - 2018, but then the transfer was never issued. A serious blow to the athlete's prospects was dealt a disastrous performance at the home world championship, after which the interest of foreign clubs in him markedly decreased. During the tournament, Fedor lost the competition to Artyom Dzube and lost his place in the starting lineup of the Russian national team, and then did not score a decisive penalty in the post-match series with Croatia.
It is not surprising that this failure deprived Smolov of self-confidence and led to the fact that he decided to stay in Russia. Instead of a risky move to Europe, a transfer to Moscow Lokomotiv was chosen, which promised a performance in the Champions League and a fight for RPL gold. True, Fedor could not succeed in any of the above directions. His European campaign was blurred due to frequent injuries, and in the national championship Zenit took over.
Nevertheless, Smolov did not give up the idea to try his hand in Europe and decided on a risky move. It is noteworthy that he did this at a fairly mature age, and this is usually not characteristic of domestic football players. Firstly, every year it is becoming increasingly difficult for an athlete to decide to try himself in a foreign country, and secondly, there is a risk of losing a place in his homeland. No one is safe from injuries, and serious damage can close the door to returning to the elite Russian team.
In light of this, Smolov’s decision to try himself in Spain is even more unexpected. He not only agreed to move to a foreign championship, but also went to the collective outsider of the Spanish La Liga. At the moment, “Celta” is in the relegation zone and is only three points ahead of the final table “Espanyol”. In addition, in the winter the “celestial” lost one of the main stars in the person of Stanislav Lobotka. Over the past 2.5 years, the Slovak became the real leader of the team and deserved a comparison with Marek Gamšik and Marco Verratti.
However, not the strongest team opens up prospects for Fedor to become the main center forward of the team in the shortest possible time. In fact, his only competitor is the age Iago Aspas, and Gabriel Fernandez has not yet been able to open up in Celta. As for the talented Santi Mina, he often plays on the right flank of the attack and can hardly be considered a direct rival of the Russian. For comparison, in Villarreal, he would have to compete with Gerard Moreno, Paco Alcácer and Carlos Bakka.
It is worth noting that Aspas is also difficult to call a football player, inferior to Smolov in the class. This is evidenced even by the fact that the Spaniard continues to be extremely productive and with seven goals is the top scorer of the “Celts”. At first, the Russian will have to enter the field from the bench, but successful actions can help him oust the competitor from the squad. In addition, Iago can close the position on the right flank, so do not exclude the possibility that Oscar Garcia decides to simultaneously keep both forwards on the field.
It is worth noting that Smolov will not have to adapt for a long time to the Celtic tactical scheme. Garcia preaches the standard 4-5-1 with one defensive midfielder, two central and two flanking. Lokomotiv also often used a similar formation, and it was especially common in oppositions with teams of equal strength, as well as in Champions League matches. Semin followed a similar arrangement in meetings with Bayer, Atlético and Juventus.
It is impossible to unequivocally state that Fedor will succeed in the Example and become a worthy successor of the traditions of Alexander Mostovoy and Valery Karpin. At the moment, this is not the “Celta” that consistently ranks among the top ten strongest clubs in the championship and even fought for getting into the top 7. Smolov’s task is to help one of the most unforgettable championship teams to establish implementation and win the struggle for survival. The last time the "heavenly" performed in the Segund in the season 2011/12.
Nevertheless, the forward does not risk anything. Given that the transition is framed on a rental basis, Smolov will retain his salary in full. In addition, in the event of an unsuccessful performance in the Pyrenees, the Russian is free to refuse to move to Vigo on an ongoing basis, even in case of interest from the club.
It should not be ruled out that Fedor will be able to prove himself well even if Celta fails to maintain a residence permit in the Example. If a Russian can demonstrate the game of the times playing for Krasnodar, other European groups may well be interested in his services, which will allow him to continue his career in Europe.
For comparison, the same Alexander Golovin was in much more difficult conditions at the time of moving to Monaco. The midfielder left CSKA in the summer of 2018 and signed a five-year contract with one of the grandees of French football. However, in the first season he was forced to help the Monegasques fight for survival and, if the outcome was unsuccessful, could end up in League 2. Smolov is safe from such failures and can calmly concentrate on achieving the result.
As for the prospects of Fedor in the Russian national team, he should not worry about this. In recent years, the coaching staff led by Stanislav Cherchesov has repeatedly proved that he is closely watching both RPL players and other European championships. If Smolov can prove himself in Celta, then getting into the team's application for Euro 2020 will not take long.
It is worth noting that Fedor is not the first time to go on loan to a European club. In 2010, he ended up in the Dutch Feyenorde, for which he spent 14 matches. True, his voyage cannot be called successful, because he chalked up only one goal and two assists. Ten years later, he got a second chance to declare himself loudly in the Old World and has every chance to implement his plan.