A new challenge: should Kokorin move to one of the leading European championships

More recently, the fate of Alexander Kokorin was only interested in scandals - starting with the conflict that thundered throughout the country in the fall of 2018, as a result of which the player ended up in a colony, and ending with the strange situation of sending a player on loan from Zenit to Sochi. But a month after the resumption of the Russian football championship, the situation radically changed. As a result, by the time the RPL followed the lead of other sports leagues and interrupted the current season due to the coronavirus pandemic, information began to appear in the media about the serious interest in the striker from the leading European championships.

The first about the possible career development prospects of Kokorin was the famous commentator Gennady Orlov. He claimed that in Russia they intend to offer the attacker a full-fledged contract in Sochi itself, and in Europe one of the Spanish teams is interested in the player.

“I am convinced that there will be requests from many clubs. Including from abroad. I know that in Spain there is a team that would like to get Alexander. There have already begun some negotiations, movements. The situation is very complicated. It now belongs to Zenit, but only until July, and then becomes a free agent. Sochi is already active, others are also fussing. What does Zenit offer? We’ll see, ”Orlov said on his VKontakte blog.

On Thursday, the trend was continued by journalist Sergei Egorov on his Youtube channel. According to him, Kokorin is ready to offer contracts at once in the four strongest European championships: the Spanish Example, the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga and the French League 1.

And closer to night, another football insider, Ivan Karpov, reported that the attacker had allegedly already agreed with Lokomotiv on a three-year contract and, according to the terms of this agreement, would earn € 10 million. Given the problems of the railway workers in the front line after the departure of Fedor Smolov (in the club was interested in Alexander in the winter), the limit on legionnaires and the family’s desire to stay in Moscow, which has been tightening since the summer, is quite likely.

At the same time in Italy, Kokorin is closely monitored by Lazio and Genoa, according to journalist Egorov. Particularly curious is the option with the Romans, who left for a forced pause due to the coronavirus pandemic in second place in the national championship and have very good chances of winning, not to mention speaking in the Champions League.

The rest of the alleged applicants for Kokorin from European countries show much more modest results. So, “Genoa”, “Valladolid” and “Fortune” are fighting for survival. But Marseille, like Lazio, is on the second line in the French championship standings and has every chance to break into the most prestigious club tournament of the Old World at the end of the season.

Kokorin himself notes that European teams have already come to him. In an interview with popular blogger Yevgeny Savin in early March, he said that in the winter he was ready to rent just Marcel, who is currently headed by former Zenit mentor Andre Villas-Boash.

“When the story passed, I wrote Villas-Boas. He said: “Now I’m ready, because Zenit does not need me for the second part of the season. I would very much like to go to you. ” He replied: “This is a super option, but we cannot pay for the transfer right now. I learn from Zenit whether it will be a purchase or a rental. ” I said that ideally would be a rental. They contacted the Zenith. They said that the club does not intend to give me away, ”the striker said.

The rights to the football player currently belong to the St. Petersburg team, but the agreement will come to an end already on June 30. And in the first four games in Sochi, the striker did everything to maximize his interest from potential employers. In the first official match after a year and a half pause, Kokorin upset Arsenal and did not realize a couple more good points, and his team lost. Despite this, as well as the final defeat of the southerners, the striker was recognized as the best footballer of the meeting.

But in the future, “Sochi” did not allow misfires. In three matches, the RPL rookie scored nine points and left the relegation zone. Kokorin scored a double in a meeting with Orenburg. But it was not this game that turned out to be the most revealing, but the confrontation with Krasnodar, which ranks second, in which the newcomer failed to score points for performance. Nevertheless, the forward was again recognized as the best player of the meeting.

And the striker deserved this title, because he literally led the team’s game in attack. Repeatedly Kokorin could score on his own. For example, in the debut of the duel after the bite shot of Alexander, “Krasnodar” was saved only by the barbell. Three times a football player shot on target, but Matvey Safonov helped out the guests.

The player also took part in episodes with both goals. At the beginning of the second half, after a foul on him near the penalty ball, Christian Noboa picked up the ball and, thanks to the rebound, opened an account. And already in the stoppage time, Alexander tried to upset Safonov, but the goalkeeper managed to eliminate the danger in a beautiful jump. However, the first to find were the partners who brought Andrei Mostovoy to the empty net.

As a result, Kokorin was recognized not only as the best player of the match, but throughout March in the RPL, and also received a flattering assessment from the Sochi head coach Vladimir Fedotov.

“He is the best I have ever worked with. This is a versatile soccer player. He shows himself well: he has space, knows how to work between the lines, is organized in defense. He shows his leadership qualities both as a scorer and as a person. Alexander led the team behind him, ”- quotes the match TV specialist.

Thus, the future of Kokorin in the summer can turn into the main intrigue of Russian football. At the same time, Alexander’s possible departure abroad has both its pros and cons. If this happens, it will be difficult not to be happy for another Russian player who ended up in the leading European championship.

In recent years, such units. However, the example of Fedor Smolov can be contagious in a good way. At 30, the striker was not afraid to go to Spain to the far from the most powerful club and managed to prove himself there. At least the goal against Real Madrid will forever remain in the history of Russian football. Kokorin himself in an interview expressed the opinion that Smolov’s trip to Celta fully paid off.

“There are people who want me to leave for Europe. Let's see what happens. Need a good option. It’s not a matter of just leaving where it is not clear. Celta? This is "clear where." Play against the “Real” and “Barca” - very cool, Fedya well done. What championship is the soul? Spain. I like the example most of all, ”Sport24 quotes the player.

At the same time, Kokorin is only a year younger than his former Dynamo partner - on March 19, he turned 29 years old. This means that Kokorin does not have much time left, and there may no longer be a chance to try himself in Europe. Moreover, at the moment he is in a form that is amazing by the standards of the RPL and, apparently, this is far from the limit.

Finally, in Alexander’s career there is one “fad” that he probably wants to close. In 2015, a young player could be on loan at London's Arsenal, but the transition did not take place.

“Londoners wanted to rent Sasha on the last day of the transfer window, but his contract with Dynamo was already ending, which served as an obstacle. We could not give it in any way. He always told Kokorin to go abroad as soon as possible. Even before the transfer to Zenit, we had such a conversation. Sasha said: “You don’t have to go to another Russian club, go to Europe, no matter what the offer is,” the former Dynamo head coach Andrei Kobelev recalled in an interview with RT.

However, his family could become an obstacle to the move of Kokorin to Europe. In 2017, Alexander had a son, with whom the athlete wants to spend as much time as possible. And the close ones of the football player, according to the information of the journalist Sergey Egorov, would prefer to stay in Russia.

There is a purely football reason, which can lead to the fact that the striker refuses to leave. Such a step could prevent Alexander from returning to the national team, of which he dreams. There is no guarantee that an attacker will quickly adapt and play abroad. In the worst case scenario, the Russian may lose practice and lower his chances of participating in the European Championship, even if it takes place only after a year.

At the same time, in Russia Kokorin risks much less. Here he remained a star even after being in prison and a year and a half pause. It is unlikely that Alexander will sit in the reserve in the RPL team. For example, if he really turns out to be in Lokomotiv, then he may become the attacker on whom the entire game of the team in the attack will be built.

It’s hard to imagine that in the provisional Lazio, the domestic striker will win the competition against Italian football player Ciro Immobile, who scored 27 goals this season in Serie A.