Rumors about a possible change of the club by Hamid Agalarov circulated in the first half of the season.
He became one of the main discoveries of the championship and not only joined the dispute for the title of top scorer, but also attracted the attention of the coaching staff of the Russian national team.
Valery Karpin even called the striker at the team's location to prepare for the most important qualifying matches of the World Cup in Qatar, even though he later did not give him a chance to enter the field.
Nevertheless, the young man himself reacted competently to this and continued to progress, churning out goals in the national championship.
In the spring, he has already distinguished himself four times, and struck another accurate blow during the confrontation with the Urals.
In the 80th minute, Agalarov burst into the penalty area, removed Alexei Gerasimov with a simple but effective feint and irresistibly struck a trivela (outer side of the foot).
And even though this goal helped the guests only avoid defeat with a dry score, Hamid himself can bring this meeting to his credit.
He became the best player of Ufa according to WhoScored, losing only to Eric Bikfalvi, and with 17 goals he strengthened himself on the first line of the scorers race.
It is noteworthy that over the past five seasons, only Artyom Dzyuba, Serdar Azmun and Fedor Smolov scored more.
It is not surprising that after this match, they again started talking about the possible departure of Agalarov from Ufa.
And one of the first to speak about this was the father of the football player.
According to him, the son is “ripe for a big team” and in the near future he can start looking for her.
“I think that this summer he needs to change the club, regardless of whether Ufa will fly out or not.
I really want to see Hamid in a big team.
Is there any interest in it?
I won't tell you," Ruslan Agalarov told Sport-Express.
A well-known Russian coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev has a similar opinion.
The former Anji mentor agreed that the prerequisites for Agalarov's transition to the top team exist, and he called the demand for a physically powerful striker logical.
“Hamid has everything to successfully play for a big team - opportunities, abilities.
I don't doubt it.
A player who regularly scores goals is highly valued... We were wary of Hamid's success, but now he regularly proves his level.
Agalarov will be in demand, ”Championat quotes Gadzhiev.
The specialist stressed that in terms of negotiations, much will depend on the position of Ufa, but it is unlikely that it will forcibly retain the main asset.
The people of Bashkortostan were initially satisfied with the role of an exporter of talents, and in recent years they have regularly provided “new supplies” to Russian giants.
Last year, Daniil Fomin was sold, a year earlier they released Igor Diveev, Danil Krugovoy and Dmitry Zhivoglyadov, and before that, Ivan Oblyakov and Dmitry Stotsky.
And almost all transfers were carried out at fairly reasonable prices in the range of €1.5-3 million. Undoubtedly, Shamil Gazizov and the company can ask for a little more for a stable goalscorer, but they are unlikely to demand inadequate money.
Now the question is which of the RPL clubs can be most interested in Agalarov and will be ready not only to pay the agreed amount for him, but also to immediately provide playing practice and suitable roles and conditions for him.
And this is of great importance not only for the team, but also for the player himself.
His progress is largely due to the trust of the coach and the tactical scheme that reveals his strengths.
In Ufa, Alexei Stukalov uses a 3-5-2 formation in which Hamid is assigned the role of a free kick forward, while his partner acts in a more free manner and either takes the attention of the defenders or delivers the ball to the league's top scorer himself.
At the same time, most of the assists for the striker come from the flanks, covered by the laterals Bojan Jokic and Egas Kasintura.
If we exclude accurate kicks from the penalty spot, then it was from their passes that he scored a third of the goals in the championship (four out of 12).
On the one hand, the leaders in the number of crosses in the penalty area for a meeting are Zenit (21), Spartak and Dynamo (both 20 each), but a transfer to one of these teams can hardly be called an ideal option for Agalarov.
And it's not the style of the game, but also the high competition.
The Petersburgers have one of the strongest attacking trios in the league, and there is hardly a place for a newcomer even if Artyom Dzyuba leaves, who still has not renewed his contract with the club.
Yes, and Sergei Semak has recently gravitated towards the 4-3-3 formation with Yuri Alberto and Malcolm at the edges, which further reduces Hamid's chances of getting into the start.
Agalarov may face the same problems in Spartak and Dynamo.
The scheme with one pure striker is not familiar to him, and the presence of two high-level strikers threatens to reduce playing time.
It will be extremely difficult to oust Shamar Nicholson, Alexander Sobolev, Fedor Smolov or Vyacheslav Grulev from the squad on the move.
And do not forget about Konstantin Tyukavin.
Although he began to receive much less practice, he is still considered one of the most talented young football players in the country.
And while there are no reasonable reasons to refuse his services in favor of Hamid.
Not the best option is seen and "Locomotive".
On the one hand, Agalarov fits into the concept developed by Ralph Rangnick, according to which the bet is on young players with resale potential.
On the other hand, it turns out to be at least third in line for a place at the base.
Jan Kukhta and Wilson Isidor, who came in the winter, look more than impressive, and if necessary, Rifat Zhemaletdinov is also able to play on the edge.
As for the rest, Sochi has hardly deserved the title of the top club in Russia, and Rubin and Rostov are failing the season and are fighting more for survival than for potential tickets to European competition.
Given the words of Agalarov's father, he is unlikely to consider the possibility of moving to one of these teams, and therefore only CSKA and Krasnodar remain on the list.
Both rely on overall strikers, but lack performers of this type.
The first - due to the ambiguous transfer policy, the second - because of the difficult political situation, coupled with injuries.
CSKA could start the spring segment of the championship with three forwards in the squad.
To replace Anton Zabolotny, there were Adolfo Gaich and Ilya Shkurin, but both did not suit the coaching staff and were exiled on loan.
And although both will return to the team in the summer, they are unlikely to stay there for a long time.
The Argentine obviously does not justify the funds invested in him, and the Belarusian does not correspond to the level of the army's claims.
Krasnodar, on the contrary, greatly strengthened the attacking line over the past year.
John Cordoba immediately fit into the scheme and began to score one goal after another, and in the winter he was acquired by a promising replacement in the person of Eric Botheim.
But they are not yet destined to play together.
The first was seriously injured and was forced to undergo hamstring surgery, and the second temporarily suspended the contract with the black-greens.
So at the disposal of Alexander Storozhuk were Vladimir Ilyin, who was missing the stars from the sky, as well as Olakunle Olusegun and Jonathan Okoronkvo, leased from the Bulgarian Botev.
Both are likely to leave the team in the summer, as a result of which there will be much more vacancies.
And Agalarov, similar in style to Cordoba, could fill the void in the offensive line.
Under the current conditions, he will certainly be guaranteed both the trust of the coaching staff and the abundance of playing time.
The only question is whether Hamid himself wants to move to the club, albeit with a big name, but not with the clearest prospects.
The legionnaires who made up the main striking power of the "bulls" hastily left it in the spring, and it is not a fact that they will return.
And there may not be financial opportunities to purchase an adequate replacement.
Therefore, the most logical and safe is the transfer to CSKA.
Unlike Krasnodar, he retained the foreigners already in the application and even agreed to buy Jorge Carrascal, who came in the winter on loan.
And if the army bosses manage to leave Yusuf Yazici in Moscow, next season they can be considered one of the main contenders for medals.
In addition, Agalarov himself is already able to fight for getting into the start with Zabolotny.
His huge potential, high performance and age speak for him.
Hamid is quite capable of becoming the main option of the red-blue in the attack for many years to come and help him return to the top lines in the RPL.