Sergei Semak is ready to enter the last phase of his career, with the club for whom a spent the greatest part.
Over the last few days word has leaked of the Army’s pursuit of Sergei Semak.
Apparently, this is something that Semak wants, telling Sovetski Sport, “CSKA is a team very close to my heart.”
Acknowledging he still has a very on his deal with Rubin, the former national team captain appears to be will to acquiesce to his current club, saying “I still have a year on my contract with Rubin, and (Rubin) turned them down.
“It would have been very symbolic for me to return to CSKA. But I don’t see anything bad about staying with Rubin.”
Symbolic indeed. Semak spend his best days with CSKA, ending a team year with the club in 2004. For any player to return to a club from whom he’s given so much service would be symbolic.
But the mere desire also carries symbolism. In trying to make this move, Semak is indicating his career is coming to an end. Speculation as to why Semak had trouble going ninety minutes in big matches is being answered by the player himself. The end is coming.
To play out the string, Semak wants to move back to Moskva and complete a circle.
For CSKA, even though Semak is becoming a player with limitations, he would be a great fit.
The heart of CSKA’s team is young, and beyond the back line there is a lack of experience and leadership. Semak is as much an on-field general as you will find in the Liga.
CSKA is also in desperate need to help protect an increasingly vulnerable defense. As Semak ages and fits even more into a defensive midfielder’s game, he will continue to be able to destroy attacks before the hit the line.
And because of CSKA’s offensive superiority and the nature of the Liga, Semak need not play every match for the Army. They will be able to leverage him – preserve him – my spotting his starts.
The strange part about this rumor is that it also makes sense for Rubin to sell Semak. Granted, we don’t know how much CSKA offered Rubin, but given the Army’s need and Semak’s sentiments, it seems something should be worked out. Semak is professional and will play well for the Tartars, but he would rather be somewhere else.
Rubin has Christian Noboa as a central midfielder. They have Alan Kasaev and MacBeth Sibaya, and they have the ability to go get somebody else. Now in Europa League, they can take this time to restructure while still getting their European monies. They can prepare themselves for next season’s Liga and Champions League and potential still advance a round in Europa (if they can keep their defense together for Hapoel Tel Aviv).
Rubin may see their needs differently. They may see Semak as an integral, if substituted, part.
From where I sit, a Semak move to CSKA makes sense for all three parties. Rubin should cash in on Semak now and maximize the value of a player who is ready to move on.
Interesting speculation, for sure.
The rumor of Semak’s return to CSKA began to percolate in the press in early December, with a number of reports that he was tempted to return to Moskva to finish his career. And Lenoid Slutsky, who has been a long-time admirer of Semak, was quite open with his praise for the midfielder and his desire to have Semak back at the club. But Rubin just wouldn’t go for it, and were not swayed by the fact that Semak only had a year left on his contract. But they quickly offered up a hefty extension (though the amount was undisclosed, as far as I can tell) in mid-December and Semak took it, making any such transfer plans remote at best.
CSKA’s general director Roman Babayev, in a radio interview today, said he was sure that the club’s transfer activity this winter was closed—citing, somewhat begrudgingly, their failure to acquire a “top-level” striker. So, the Keisuke Honda acquisition proves to be the only one in the midfield.
It may be interesting to note that the interview that you mention (which was massive, about 7,000 words) was itself loaded in symbolism, it was taking place at a tennis court owned by CSKA—where Semak’s son was playing in a tournament. The remarks on a return to CSKA were just in passing–kind of a quick rehashing of those prior rumors–and Semak ended up speaking more about his life in Kazan, admitting he was comfortable there and that his family had grown quite accustomed to the city.
That, of course, is not too surprising. But the fact—which he admitted—that the players hadn’t been paid in two-and-a-half months sort of was! Semak’s explained it away and said it was no big deal, said it happens often in Russian football (which is true), and that he was confident that arrears would be paid soon and he was remaining patient. What such news does at least point to, which isn’t really news but it bears mentioning, is that Rubin could use some cash. The fact that Berdiýew held on to Semak speaks to how integral the coach views him in his plans at Rubin.
And . . . Semak also revealed that he never actually named his daughter Barcelona! So sad, but not a surprise. He opted for the more traditional Varya.
Kasaev should not be considered a full-time replacement in the centre. For me, he’s played his best stuff at Rubin and Kuban on the flank.
Worrying news re. Rubin’s finances. In that sense, they really could’ve done with a ’sexier’ draw than an Israeli side in Europe. A game against Liverpool or a German side would have bolstered the coffers a bit more. Even if they prevail, the prize money is meagre and will barely cover the win bonuses!
Possible daft question from someone who knows very little beyond the rudimentary basics on money-matters, but do Russian clubs release figures at the end of their financial year? And if so, do we take them with the proverbial pinch of salt?
Sorry: I didn’t mean to imply Kasaev as a full-time replacement at center; rather, I was just noting depth. For that matter, I do not think Sibaya is a long-term solution, either. However, those two plus Noboa gives them sufficient cover, particularly if they purchase the midfielder who can play at the higher level, something we all hope Rubin will do.
Martyn, I can’t really answer your question, but I can at least echo it. Financial figures seem shrouded in mystery, at least to me. It is difficult to really find any at all. I might just not be looking in the right spots. But when there is a story that does come out it is always perplexing—since there is no real context to make sense of the information.
Take, for example, today’s news about Krylia Sovetov Samara—a club widely known to have excessive debt. Rostekhnologii, the state corporation that finances the club, announced the upcoming budget for the club to be $50 million. Given that the club has debt over $80 million we can only assume that the new funds are destined to be used to pay off said debt. The club will most likely not be transferring any new players, but you still have to wonder how wages will be paid. That said, I don’t exactly know how a club can even get credit once they are so far in the hole.
Lokomotiv’s budget for 2010 was announced in December to have increased by 1 billion rubles (25 million euros, more or less), a substantial sum. But I could not find information about the previous budget, so it wasn’t clear how much would go toward bills left over from the previous season. Then questions arose over Loko’s finances after the acquisition of Aliyev fell through, making an unclear situation even more mystifying. So it ends with more cause to believe that such budget reportage is merely posturing.
Rubin’s situation depends so much upon the city of Kazan, which is one of the major (if not the primary) sponsors of the club. Currently the club is attempting to retrieve money promised to them by the city in order to cover the back pay. Besides that disconcerting wage issue, Rubin is being sued by a turf company for 2 million rubles—which is not even 50,000 euros. I don’t know the specifics of the case, but I did read that the club didn’t even send a representative to the arbitration hearing!
In such a financial climate how will Rubin be able to bring in the midfield talent that is needed? Even if they sell Ansaldi, they will still struggle to find the money that is necessary.
This is some speculation that is only slightly more informed than the normal blather:
As Andrew noted, state sponsorship is a big factor here.
Russia also needs to be in a position to build a bunch of new facilities and infrastructure soon.
I’m convinced Russia is the favorite for the 2018 World Cup, but there is the concern that they won’t be able to pull it off, particularly given what UEFA’s had to go through to make sure Euro 2012 happens.
Obviously, Russia is not Ukraine. Russia is not Poland.
Russia is, however, a nation that needs to build a bunch of stadia. They will need more hotels. They will need better transportation infrastructure connecting potential locations.
Again, pure speculation, but if a club had a budget that depending on certain monies and then they were told that those monies are going to be directed elsewhere, you would have a lot of panicked club directors …
Especially in provinces where clubs are highly subsidized.
Thanks for the heads-up guys. I particularly value such contextualising information.
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