Ideal scenario: why Miranchuk's transfer from Lokomotiv to Atalanta could be beneficial to all parties

Negotiations at the beginning of the week and € 15 million excluding bonuses

Atalanta may be close to acquiring Alexei Miranchuk, Italian Sportmediaset reported. According to the newspaper, negotiations will start on Monday between representatives of the Bergamascans and the player's agent. It is reported that Andrey Losyuk, who is in charge of the foreign market at Lokomotiv, can join them.

At the same time, Italian journalists believe that the transfer amount will be € 15 million excluding bonuses, since in June 2021 the midfielder's current contract with the Russian club will expire.

Earlier it was reported that Miranchuk was allegedly interested in Milan and Parma, and the general director of Lokomotiv Vasily Kiknadze estimated the probability of a football player leaving the railway club this summer at 60%.

“There are some interesting options from Europe. And really good ones. If it doesn't work out, and this also happens, then it will be much easier for us to play in the Champions League. 60 to 40 in favor of the fact that we will make a transfer. Right now, there are two options that would suit everyone: us, Lyosha and the team that will take him, ”the Sport24 functionary quotes. 

In turn, the head coach of the team, Marko Nikolic, stressed that he was counting on Miranchuk.

“He is one of the best Russian players. If he has the opportunity to play in a good European club, great. If not, he is our player, "the coach said in an interview with the Championship.  

Lokomotiv: the last chance for a profitable sale and good advertising

It is not surprising that Lokomotiv does not want their leading performer to leave. In this case, the team may have serious problems. And it is impossible to quickly recover from the loss of a football player of this level. Nevertheless, the departure of Miranchuk brings many advantages for the club.

In the summer, Miranchuk gained excellent shape and has already scored nine goals in the RPL. Lokomotiv managed to take second place in the Russian championship at the end of last season and directly break into the group stage of the Champions League largely thanks to the game of its leader.  

At the same time, Alexey had never been such a performance before. Before the last national championship, in which he scored 12 goals, his best result was seven goals in the 2017/18 season.   

The departure of a footballer now, of course, will be a huge loss for the team. On the other hand, without letting go of the player, the club can get a performer who has lost motivation, who will outgrow the RPL level and stop developing.

In addition, as the Italian publication wrote, the midfielder's current contract with the railroad expires at the end of June 2021, and nothing has yet been announced about its extension. Consequently, in the future, the player's price will only decrease, because in a year he will become a free agent. The coming months are perhaps the last moment to sell the player profitably.

In addition, Miranchuk's move to a strong European club will be an excellent advertisement for Lokomotiv. Thanks to this transfer, railway workers will be recognized all over the world. After all, it is one thing to take fourth place in the Champions League group stage, and another thing is to raise stars for the strongest teams of the Old World.

Also, in the future, Lokomotiv will be able to earn even more on the sale of Miranchuk, if bonuses from the player's subsequent transfers are spelled out in the agreement with Atalanta. In this case, the red-greens will receive a serious amount. If the midfielder does not play in Italy, Loko can always agree on the lease of the former footballer. 

Atalanta: great footballer for reasonable money 

There are many advantages to the possible transfer of Miranchuk for Atalanta. The main one - the club will receive a high-level footballer in the prime of his career (24 years) for an adequate amount. On the eve of the pandemic, the transfer market in Europe turned out to be excessively overheated, but Bergamasca has always distinguished itself by economical spending.

The most expensive purchase Atalanta made in July last year. Striker Luis Muriel has transferred from Sevilla for € 20.1 million, according to Transfermarkt. In second place, according to the publication, is the transfer of ex-Spartak midfielder Mario Pashalich from Chelsea for € 15 million. Thus, the acquisition of Miranchuk fully fits into the philosophy of the club.

At the same time, in the person of Miranchuk, Atalanta will receive a fairly experienced performer. Indeed, in addition to the RPL, he spent 25 caps for the national team, and made his debut in its composition at the age of 19. With the national team, the midfielder took part in the home World Cup and the Confederations Cup, although he was not the main player there.

Also, Miranchuk has 26 meetings in European competition (ten of them in the Champions League). At the same time, Alexey scored four goals and gave ten assists. And two goals against Juventus in 2019 aroused serious interest in the Russian in Italy.

The playing qualities of the Russian do not raise questions either. The technical Miranchuk, with a good passing, can fit perfectly into Gian Piero Gasperini's setup with two attacking midfielders. At the same time, a universal footballer is able to play both directly under the attacker and closer to the right flank, and even at the forefront of the attack. 

Miranchuk: an ideal stage in a career and a chance to get into the main team

If Alexey does not dare to move to Atalanta, he risks staying in the Russian championship. As stated, the 24-year-old midfielder is arguably the best form of his career at the moment, and there may not be a better time to leave for Serie A.

It's not at all a fact that Miranchuk, like last season, will be able to hit the gates twice. In this case, the Russian in Europe will quickly be forgotten, and local fans are unlikely to follow his achievements in the RPL.

So Alex, deciding to bide his time, can stay in Russia forever. There are plenty of examples of how domestic footballers missed their chance to go to Europe, and then regretted it. For example, Artyom Dziuba never left for England, although, according to the captain of the Russian national team, after the home World Cup he had options in the Premier League.

Aleksandr Kokorin also stayed in the RPL, although in the summer of 2015 London Arsenal wanted to rent him from Dynamo. And many strong Russian footballers have such a story. But as a result, only a few leave for Europe.

And “Atalanta” for Miranchuk seems to be an ideal option for continuing his career. If it would be difficult for Alexey to break into the starting line-up in the top club, then in Bergamo he will have such an opportunity. Still, in this team, Ruslan Malinovsky and Mario Pashalich, who can hardly be called the stars of world football, will become his rivals for a place at the base. Team captain Alejandro Gomez, who also plays as an attacking midfielder, turned 32 in February.

At the same time, “Atalanta” has made the whole of Europe talk about itself in recent years. The team, which fought for survival in Serie A five years ago, under the leadership of Gasperini, shows spectacular football and for the second season in a row ends in third place in the national championship.

And in their debut for the Champions League, the Bergamasks almost reached the semifinals. The following season, Atalanta also secured participation in the group stage of the main European competition.

Thus, this club can become an excellent step for a Russian on the way to moving to one of the European giants. If Miranchuk shows himself in a new place, then in a few years he can move to a new level.

Finally, the transfer of Alexei to Atalanta can help him get into the starting lineup of the Russian national team on the eve of Euro 2021, because Stanislav Cherchesov always emphasized that in Europe they play at completely different speeds than in the RPL.

In turn, the departure of a football player will make the national team stronger as well, because it will receive another high-class legionnaire who will be ready for the most difficult tests.