There comes a time in the life of every team when it needs to slightly change the vector of development and significantly shake up the roster. Moreover, in some cases, the management makes such a decision based on the not-so-satisfactory results of the team and its inability to fulfill tournament tasks, in others - due to various circumstances not directly related to sports. But at times, changes are provoked by a whole range of problems associated with both game aspects and difficulties of other kinds. And this is precisely the situation in which Spartak found itself.
Recently, there has been active talk that several performers may soon leave the red-white lineup. Moreover, if some of them have difficulty making it into the first team and are practically not responsible for the successes and failures of Spartak in recent years, then others largely determine its game. First of all, we are talking about one of the best scorers in the history of the club - Quincy Promes, whose career is in jeopardy due to problems with the law.
Recently, an Amsterdam court sentenced Promes to six years in prison for drug smuggling, put him on the international wanted list and effectively put an end to his return to Europe. If earlier the Dutchman could have hoped that in the future he would go to the Eredivisie and get a second attempt to gain a foothold in his native Ajax, but now the chances of this are almost zero. Moreover, if the verdict cannot be appealed, then Quincy risks losing the opportunity to compete in European competitions after the Russian teams return there. After all, if he appears in one of the EU countries, he faces extradition to his homeland and imprisonment.
On the one hand, these events actually deprived Promes of his hopes of building a career outside the RPL and tied him even more firmly with Spartak, although they had not counted on him there before. If you believe the rumors, in December his current contract with the club was automatically extended until the summer of 2025, and soon the Dutchman may receive a Russian passport and lose his foreign player status. On the other hand, problems with the law do not allow the red-whites to feel calm and force them to look for a replacement for one of their leaders. Thus, information has already appeared in the media about the readiness of Muscovites to spend up to €18 million on Quincy’s replacement. According to Metaratings, the search for a candidate is already underway, and the shortlist includes four foreigners, whose names have not been disclosed.
True, this is still hard to believe. And not only because of Promes’ current agreement, but also the willingness of several players to fill the left winger position. Both Anton Zinkovsky and Theo Bongonda and Jesus Medina, who prefer to be positioned on the right, can play this role. And what is the point of parting with such a high-quality athlete, who, due to the circumstances, is ready to remain in the team until retirement? It is much more logical to take advantage of this situation and conclude a new agreement on more favorable terms, allowing Quincy to further strengthen his status as the best foreign scorer in the history of the RPL.
The early departure of George Dzhikia seems just as unlikely. Yes, discussions on a new contract between the parties are not going well, but the sale of the defender is unlikely to take place before the winter transfer window closes. It is unlikely that it will be possible to find a replacement for him in the shortest possible time, and the shortage of representatives of this role may affect the final part of the championship. After all, Spartak still retains, albeit illusory, chances for RPL gold medals, and is also considered one of the favorites in the fight for the Russian Cup.
For comparison, the departures of four other performers, whose agents have already been authorized to negotiate with other clubs, look much more likely. According to journalist Ivan Karpov, some of them were even offered options to continue their careers, as a result of which they could leave Otkritie Bank Arena before February 22 - on this day the transfer window in the RPL closes. And we are talking about both legionnaires and Russians.
At first glance, the possible departure of Victor Moses and Christopher Martins may not seem the most logical. Still, both often took to the field this season, and the Luxembourger has long remained the main option in the defensive position. But even though he regularly gets into the first team, his performances often raise questions. In particular, it was because of his constant absences from his zone that Spartak missed more than one goal in the championship. Suffice it to recall Wendel’s goal in the derby of two capitals, when Pereira first rushed into the penalty area and then did not have time to cover the Brazilian’s shot. And he makes such mistakes more often than he would like.
Moses is clearly in the final stages of his career and is no longer as useful as before. Over the course of six months, the 33-year-old all-rounder spent only 650 minutes on the field in all tournaments and scored a goal and an assist, while his statistics dropped noticeably. So, if last season he had 0.35 expected goals and passes (xG + xA) on average per 90 minutes, then this season he had only 0.16. At the same time, the Nigerian’s agreement with the red and white is expiring in the summer and it is quite reasonable to try to get at least some money for him.
Surely the Spartak bosses are guided by the same arguments in the situation with Pavel Maslov. True, completely different events led to it. In the 2020/21 championship, the Russian was one of the main defenders of the team and not only enjoyed the trust of the coach, but was even considered as a candidate for a call-up to the national team. However, everything was ruined by a hip injury. Because of it, he was forced to undergo surgery and miss 323 days, and then was never able to return to his previous level. And in Guillermo Abascal’s scheme with two central players, he clearly had no chance to prove himself, because he was used to operating in a three.
But if Maslov at least had a bright period at Spartak, Leon Klassen cannot boast of such. In January 2022, a football player with experience in the German Bundesliga was acquired from Tyrol for €900 thousand, but never received a full opportunity to prove himself. In the RPL, his problems with speed were quickly revealed, and he was unable to compensate for its absence through other qualities. As a result, only 1807 minutes on the field in two years.
Of course, this cannot be called a large-scale restructuring. Essentially, Spartak is getting rid of performers who have either already lost their place in the lineup or have failed to fill a certain vacancy for many years, as in the case of Martins. After all, talk about the need to buy a high-quality prop did not subside either before his arrival or after. And although these personnel changes can be called local, they fully reflect the current position of management. The club is clearly dissatisfied with the current state of affairs and intends to try to change it.
The only question is whether Spartak plans to acquire someone to replace the above-mentioned players, if they can still be sold before the transfer window closes. Yes, the departure of the same Klassen, Maslov and Moses is unlikely to greatly affect the team. On the left flank of the defense there are Oleg Ryabchuk and Daniil Khlusevich, in the center there is the aforementioned Dzhikia with Srdjan Babic, Alexis Duarte and Nikita Chernov, and on the right edge of the attack there are Medina and Bongonda.
But what about the opornik, since there hasn’t been a purebred representative of this role in the camp of the ten-time champions of Russia for a long time. And Martins' departure mid-season could create a shortage at the position. Yes, Ruslan Litvinov and Nail Umyarov can nominally close it, and Roman Zobnin and Danil Prutsev can go a little lower. But this is unlikely to solve the problem of the lack of a high-quality breakwater.
One way or another, all this indicates the beginning of a gradual process of updating the team and abandoning the services of a number of players who were considered an important part of the team over recent years. And it is possible that in the future this process will only gain momentum. So, already next season the red and white will have to think about Zobnin’s future, as well as deal with the goalkeeper issue. After all, in the summer of 2025, the agreements of all three goalkeepers - Alexander Selikhov, Alexander Maksimenko and Ilya Svinov - expire. And for now it’s difficult to say which of them has a great chance of staying in Spartak.