A justified risk: why the return of Promes could help Spartak rise

Controversial role in Ajax

Rumors that Quincy Promes might return to Spartak have been circulating since the beginning of the year, but they did not seem very plausible.

Firstly, Transfermarkt estimates that the player's transfer cost is € 15 million, and secondly, on January 4, he turned 29 years old.

Finally, the current contract of the midfielder with Ajax will expire only in June 2024, so it is difficult for the Russian club to count on a low amount of compensation at the moment.

However, the champion of Russia can hardly be called the unconditional leader of the Amsterdam team.

Rather, he acts as a player in the rotation.

For example, at the beginning of the season, Quincy closed the position of an attacking midfielder, but then gave way to the base of Zakaria Labiadu and was content with substitutions for a long time.

In particular, head coach Erik Ten Hag, during the matches, released him to the left flank of the attack instead of the age-old Dusan Tadic.

True, at the beginning of 2020, Promes returned to the starting lineup.

In total this season, Quincy played 24 matches for Ajax in all tournaments, in which he scored six goals and gave one assist.

The December arrest for a knife attack on a relative also had a negative impact on the athlete.

The footballer was quickly released from custody, and the club publicly supported him, but, for sure, the Dutchman, after all that happened, would not mind changing the situation and returning to Russia.

Ajax will probably get the last opportunity to make money on a midfielder who will soon cross the 30-year mark.

Every year, the transfer cost of Promes will decline, even if it continues to benefit the team.

And right now, the loss of Quincy will not be a tragedy for the Amsterdamites.

Ten Hag will lose a high-quality rotation player, but in the top ten position, the coach can count not only on Labiad, but also on young Jurgen Eckelenkamp and Mohammed Kudus, who in the long term can bring the club much more money.

Serious spending for Spartak

According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, the Dutchman's transfer will amount to € 12 million. And Sport-Express reports that Promes, if returned, will become the highest paid football player in the red and white.

On the one hand, such a deal involving a 29-year-old player looks risky, because the club paid more only for Guus Tila (€ 16 million) and Fernando (€ 12.5 million), who were much younger at the time of their transfer to Spartak ...

On the other hand, Luiz Adriano also ended up in Moscow at the age of 29 and managed to bring the team a lot of benefits, in particular, together with Promes, he helped her win the gold medals of the RPL and the Russian Super Cup.

Alexander Samedov was also a member of the championship team, who returned to his native team at 32.

It will be almost impossible to recoup the money spent on the acquisition of Quincy.

However, over the course of several years, he can bring Spartak a lot of benefits and, for example, help Domenico Tedesco's wards to break into the group stage of the Champions League.

And the high salary of the Dutchman in the salary list of the red and whites will take the place of the salary of Alexander Kokorin, who will most likely end up in Fiorentina.

According to media reports, in Moscow, the striker earned around € 3 million. To some extent, a native of the Netherlands can replace a striker who has not taken root in the team.

At the same time, if Quincy returns, Spartak will have to part with one of the players in order to fit into the new limit on legionnaires.

At the moment, the Moscow collective includes nine foreign performers (Samuel Gigot, Ayrton, Kral, Victor Moses, Jorrit Hendrix, Auston Urunov, Pedro Rocha, Jordan Larsson and Ezequiel Ponce).

With a high degree of probability, Rocha and Urunov, who do not receive enough game practice, will go on loan.

Replacement of Bakaev and new team leader 

The arrival of such a master as Promes, Tedesco, for sure, will only be delighted.

This season, the coaching staff lacks a strong "tenth number", since Zelimkhan Bakaev has significantly lost and even lost his place at the base for a while.

And his position was forced to take Kokorin, who did not act on it in the best way.

But the appearance of the Dutchman on the beloved left flank of the attack is possible only when the scheme is changed.

So far Tedesco is betting on a 3-4-1-2 formation, in which Ayrton and Victor Moses cover the flanks.

Even though Quincy played the role of libero in Sevilla, the German is unlikely to sacrifice a hard-working Brazilian.

But when switching to two central defenders, the German can get powerful attack edges in the person of Promes and Moses, who will not have to work out in defense.  

At the same time, it will be important for the coaching staff to motivate the player.

In 2014, he came to Spartak as a young performer, who was eager to show himself and go to the leading championship.

And the red and white under him set the tone in Russia.

At the moment, the team is in the stage of formation, and at the end of last season did not even make it to the European cups.

There will be no performers of the level of Fernando, Ze Luis and Luiz Adriano.   

However, the idea of ​​building a new team with him in the role of one of the leaders may well interest the midfielder, because Spartak has become a truly native club for him.

The footballer quickly adapted to the RPL, learned Russian and turned into a real idol of fans who will accept him back with open arms.

It is also important that there are still a lot of players left in the squad who played with the Dutchman: Artyom Rebrov, Andrey Yeshchenko, Georgy Dzhikia, Roman Zobnin and others.

Along with them, he can become one of the "dressing room leaders".

But at the same time, unlike Yeshchenko and Rebrov, who are more playing the role of "uncles-mentors", he will be one of the best on the field, because Promes has not lost his proprietary technique and speed by the age of 29.   

"Spartak needs such performers"

In order to understand how justified the risk with the possible return of the 29-year-old Promes, RT talked with the former coach of the red and white, Dmitry Ananko, who worked with the Dutchman at the headquarters of Dmitry Alenichev. 

“This is a fairly qualified footballer.

Spartak needs such performers.

After all, he was the leader and dragged the team with him.

And during this time she did not become stronger.

Any legionnaire needs time to adapt, but Quincy has already played in Russia, so he won't need it.

Yes, the midfielder is 29 years old, but the same Zlatan Ibrahimovic plays at an excellent level at 39. On the other hand, the players are not robots, but real people.

It is difficult to say in what psychological state the Dutchman is now.

Unfortunately, at home, he found himself in not the most pleasant situations, "Ananko said in an interview with RT.

The coach suggested that if Promes shows the same game as during his first stay at Spartak, he will become one of the leaders.

“Time will tell how things will turn out in reality.

But with age, football players become more experienced, and their game horizons expand.

Tedesco decides on which position to use it.

Time is changing.

People are leaving.

Many guys, with whom Promes played side by side, are no longer in Spartak.

First of all, he needs to prove himself on the field.

If he becomes a leader there, then he will gain a certain weight in the locker room.

Will it be difficult for the club to recoup money for its purchase?

And when was the last time they made money on football players, ”Ananko added.

In turn, the former striker of Spartak and the Russian national team, Alexander Shirko, also believes that the possible return of the midfielder will only make the team stronger.  

“We all know perfectly well what Promes is capable of, and we remember what he did on the pitch when he played in Russia.

However, there is one "but".

Massimo Carrera has not been coaching the Reds and Whites for a long time, and it is not entirely clear how Tedesco will use Quincy to get the most out of it.

But if everything works out, it will be great, ”the expert explained.

At the same time, the ex-striker of Spartak stressed that it would be almost impossible to recoup a lot of money that the club can spend on the purchase of a football player.  

“There, of course, they take risks in order to strengthen the team here and now and get a leader who can pull partners along and independently decide the outcome of matches.

By RPL standards, Promes is a star, ”Shirko added.

The former striker of the Russian national team also stressed that if Quincy returned, they would expect a special game.

“I've heard the opinion that you can't enter the same river twice.

When Quincy came to Russia for the first time, he was young and eager to prove himself and go to a stronger championship.

Then everything worked out great for him.

Now the situation is completely different.

Quincy will be viewed almost as a savior, since everyone knows what he is capable of.

A certain psychological pressure will be exerted on the midfielder.

But if a person plays at a high level, he abstracts from such moments, "said Shirko.