Unexpected decisions: why are Cheryshev and Kokorin moving to Italy and Cyprus curious

Where did Cheryshev and Kokorin go?

Due to the increased attention to the start of the group stage of the National Cup, two high-profile transfers with the participation of former Russian football stars remained a little in the shadow.

Denis Cheryshev, who left Valencia as a free agent, finally found a new team, and Alexander Kokorin nevertheless left Fiorentina, in which he could not only become a player in the main team, but also regularly leave the bench.

At the same time, the choice of places to continue a career in both cases turned out to be quite original.

The midfielder went to the second division of the Italian championship, and the forward went to conquer the championship of Cyprus.

Cheryshev's new club was Venice.

Last season, the Lagunari captivated many fans with their bright and stylish kits, but on the field they were nowhere near as good.

In Serie A, they took the last, 20th place, and in the summer they lost a number of leading players, including loanees Ethan Ampadu, David Okereke and Mattia Caldara, as well as the team's top scorer Tom Henry, who moved to Verona.

And although new performers were invited to replace it, this does not help Ivan Yavorchich much.

In the first three rounds, the team scored four points and placed 11th in Serie B.

Kokorin, on loan, moved to Aris.

Over the past years, footballers from Limassol have shuttled between the first and second leagues, but in the past they surprised many and became fourth, only behind AEK, APOEL and Anorthosis.

And given the selection of performers, this is not surprising.

Last year, the club was ranked fifth in terms of the cost of the squad, and has remained on it now.

Why did Cheryshev choose "Venice"?

At the moment, the midfielder himself has not commented on the decision to go to Italy, but a certain logic can be traced.

Cheryshev spent his entire career in Spain and probably planned to continue playing in one of the leading European championships, but constant injuries negatively affected his demand.

Recently, there has been reports of interest in him from clubs from Turkey and the Middle East, but Denis himself hardly wanted to go there.

And in this situation, he could well decide that "Venice" is not the worst option.

Even if the team does not look the best now, it has a chance of returning to the elite.

Given the selection of performers, he is quite capable of fighting for getting into the top three with Genoa, Parma, and Cagliari.

However, it is difficult to unequivocally answer whether the second division of Italy is really a more attractive place to continue a career than the same Turkey.

If you leave out household questions.

Of course, choosing between the conditional middle peasant of the Super League and Venice, there are serious reasons to stop at the potential leader of Serie B. But in case of interest from the conditional Fenerbahce or Trabzonspor, the opportunity to play in European competitions is a serious trump card.

And if Cheryshev could be in one of the giants, then his final verdict may seem strange.

What can a move to Aris mean for Kokorin?

But if Cheryshev's actions can still be explained by the desire to remain in one of the most developed football countries and not disappear from the radar, then in the case of Kokorin, everything is much more complicated.

On the one hand, vegetating at Fiorentina was impossible from a sporting point of view.

The club made it clear that they did not count on the Russian striker and would rather keep one of the highest paid performers out of the application than give him another chance to prove himself.

On the other hand, the departure to Cyprus can be regarded as the end of a great striker career, which many called the main talent of the generation.

But according to the media, there were really few options.

Three weeks ago, Tuttosport journalist Massimo Franchi said that no one wants to invite Kokorin.

And given his performance and salary, this was easily explained.

When Aris agreed to take the striker on loan and pay at least part of his salary, Fiorentina perked up.

Of course, it is curious to know how enthusiastic Alexander himself was about moving to Limassol, but under the circumstances he hardly had to choose.

Why didn't the players return to Russia?

However, it seems surprising that the former Zenit striker did not return to his homeland.

If Fiorentina followed the lead of Aris and agreed to jointly pay Kokorin's salary, then it certainly could have agreed on this with one of the domestic clubs.

And if you believe the players close to Alexander, then he wanted to be in the RPL.

“Sasha told me that he wanted to return to Russia.

He said that he wants to play football, but so far it hasn’t worked out, ”Sochi midfielder Christian Noboa admitted to RB Sport.

In the Premier League, Cheryshev certainly would not have been lost.

After all, his main problem is not a lack of skill, but constant injuries.

But he cannot be insured against them either in Russia or in Italy.

At the same time, there is every reason to believe that in his homeland Denis could conclude an agreement on much more attractive terms.

Many still remember his brightest performance at the home world championship and probably could offer him a solid fee.

At a minimum, no less than in Venice, where on average they receive €436.5 thousand.

And this is especially surprising, because in fact for Cheryshev it was the last opportunity to conclude a big contract.

His current contract with the Lagunari is for two years with the possibility of an extension for another season.

By the time it expires, Denis will be 34 years old - more than a mature age for a flank midfielder whose strength has always been considered speed.

Of course, even in 2025, some Russian teams may want to use the veteran as a kind of “joker”, but you won’t have to count on a high fee.

Will Kokorin find motivation in Cyprus?

If there is practically no doubt about Cheryshev’s decisive mood (otherwise, what’s the point of going to the second league of Italy), then there are serious doubts about Kokorin’s desire to give himself all over again on the field.

Many believed that the opportunity to represent Fiorentina and play in one of the strongest leagues on the planet would be a huge motivation for him and help him to fully reveal his talent, but this did not happen.

Even when Alexander received playing time, he looked extremely unconvincing and did not look like someone who gives 100%.

And there are no prerequisites for his magnificent transformation in Aris.

One way or another, the further fate of Kokorin will largely depend on this stage.

If he manages to pull himself together and show at least at the level of not the strongest championship of Cyprus, then a year later he will be able to get the last solid contract.

In the summer of 2023, his agreement with the Violets expires, after which he will become a free agent.

Another failure will finally spoil his reputation and allow Alexander to gain a foothold in the top of undiscovered Russian talents.