Zenit soccer team ended their training camp in Doha with a triumph, defeating Santos in the Equality Cup. The tournament organized by Winline was won ahead of schedule by the St. Petersburg club.
The second stage of Zenit’s preparation turned out to be eventful. Malcom and Serdar Azmoun arrived in Doha, and the weather presented them with unexpected rain, which is normal for St. Petersburgers, but for locals it is an event. Getting caught in a downpour in Doha is not easy, but the team managed it during a training session before the game against Santos.
The main event of the training camp is the Equality Cup. After the 6-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua, Zenit became unreachable for the rivals in the tournament. So in the final match with “Santos” St. Petersburg came out as trophy winners. It is planned that this tournament will become an annual event, and next year the number of participants may increase.
Zenit played three matches in the Equality Cup: against Al Duhail (2-0), Shanghai Shenhua (6-0) and Santos (4-1).
As for the tournament, the most productive player of the team was Mateo Cassierra (three goals), followed by Claudinho and Pedro (two goals each), as well as Arthur, Douglas Santos, Gustavo Mantuan, Vyacheslav Karavaev and Andrei Mostovoi, each of whom scored one goal. Second place in the Equality Cup went to Shanghai Shenhua (six points), third to Santos (two points) and fourth place went to Al Duhail (one point).
Chances of winning the RPL
According to Alexander Kerzhakov, Zenit has every chance to become the champion of Russia. He noted that everything is going according to plan at Krasnodar, the team shows stability both inside and in the management. They have gradually achieved success with excellent resources both financial and organizational. Kerzhakov added that the team has learned to achieve serious results thanks to good management. He also expressed doubts that Krasnodar will be able to win the championship this year, claiming that Zenit remain stronger.
Former St. Petersburg club goalkeeper, Andrey Lunev, now defending the gates of Azerbaijan’s Qarabagh, expressed his thoughts on the state of the Russian Premier League. According to him, Zenit have enough quality players besides Malcom. He noted that the Brazilian’s departure cannot be the reason for the team’s failure, as there are plenty of other talented players in the squad. Lunev also emphasized that the changes in the composition and coaching staff of Krasnodar were predictable and quite understandable.
The former goalkeeper believes that although there are changes in the league, Zenit remains the favorite. He noted that the team has some appeasement and a more restrained reaction to events. However, Lunev preferred to wait for the results in the spring to see which team would prove itself better.
Transfer Du Queiroz and Sutormin
Meanwhile, Sergey Semak’s team is actively conducting a transfer campaign. In particular, Zenit revealed that footballer Du Queiroz left the team.
By the way, the new player, rented by Gremio, is a midfielder. The agreement with him is until the end of 2024. The club has the opportunity to buy out the player. In the current season, he played ten games in the Russian Premier League without productive actions.
Another Brazilian decided to stay in St. Petersburg. Agent Claudinho said that his ward does not plan to leave Zenit in the winter. Recently it became known that “Corinthians” is interested in the lease of the attacking midfielder with the possibility of redemption. The agent of the player denied these rumors, claiming that Claudinho will remain in St. Petersburg club at least until the summer. Claudinho’s current contract with Zenit is valid until 2027. In recent matches he has scored four goals and four assists.
Alexey Sutormin left Zenit. He moved to “Sochi” on loan until the end of the current season. In the current Russian championship he played seven matches and gave two goal assists.
Should we wait for Chalov in St. Petersburg?
Interestingly, Semak’s team is hunting for a new forward. In particular, Zenit have expressed interest in acquiring forward Fedor Chalov from CSKA. The 25-year-old striker’s current contract with the Army Men expires at the end of 2024.
Meanwhile, it became known that Chalov’s agent is asking for 4,000,000 euros for the contract extension and 6,000,000 euros as a payoff for Europe. The club, in turn, offers to extend the agreement without additional bonuses and pay the player fifty percent of the buyout amount for eight million euros. In parallel with the negotiations with CSKA, Christian Emile’s agent is also dialoguing with Zenit. However, so far only a possible transfer next winter in the status of a free agent is being discussed.
Interestingly, Zenit are ready to offer Fedor about 3.5 million euros a year. So far, the player has shown no interest in either a move to the St. Petersburg club or in extending his contract with CSKA. In the current season, Chalov has played eighteen matches in the Russian Premier League and scored eight goals.
Meanwhile, there was information about the possible transfer of Artem Makarchuk to Zenit. Earlier, the St. Petersburg club considered signing the 28-year-old midfielder, but decided not to take this step, fearing to weaken Sochi and worsen its chances of retaining a place in the Russian Premier League. Now Sochi are close to acquiring Yahya Zhabran from Vidad for €400,000. In this regard, Zenit are ready to discuss the possible transfer of Makarchuk for €5 million. Artem has played seventeen games in the Russian Premier League this season.
