Spartak Update: Move Quincy to Pompey, Scour Transfer Market

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie heads back to the EPL

Spartak Moskva has announced that midfielder Quincy Owusu-Abeyie will be sent on a free loan to cash-strapped Portsmouth (England) until the end of the English Premier League season.

While rumors had been circulating for some time that the move was in the works, Valery Karpin had recently said there was a chance the Dutch-Ghanaian could be brought back into the Moskva club’s fold.

But after seeing strong training-camp performances from Cristian Maidana and Ivan Saenko, Karpin ultimately decided it was better for both the club and the player if he took Pompey up on their offer.

Quincy has been undergoing treatment for a sore Achilles, but could see the pitch as early as Sunday for Pompey, when the club takes on Manchester City. The deal, however, will not be official until a work permit is obtained.

Also on Wednesday, 25-year-old midfielder Nikola Drinčić underwent surgery in Munich on the broken tibia he sustained during a friendly match earlier this week.

According to doctors, the surgery was successful and they suggested that should rehabilitation goes smoothly the Montenegrin international could return to the pitch in 4 to 5 months time. This is relatively good news, as it was originally assumed that the midfielder could be out of action for even longer. For now, Drinčić will stay in Germany until a decision is made on where his long rehabilitation will take place.

Directly after losing Drinčić, Spartak began to explore the nooks and crannies of the transfer market in search of an additional midfielder. According to Sport-Express, the Red-Whites are considering a move for CSKA Sofia and Bulgaria national team member Ivan Stoyanov.

The rumor is a small surprise, given Stoyanov’s more attack-minded tendencies when compared to Drinčić. In 13 matches with CSKA, the Bulgarian has scored 8 goals, but also is a major playmaker on the squad. The one element that binds the two midfielders, however, is the ability to take free-kicks and corners, one element of Drinčić’s game that he was heavily recruited for.

Recently Stoyanov has also attracted attention from FK Moskva and Shaktar Donetsk—with the Ukrainian club given the nod as early favorite, as the player’s agent apparently has ties to Shaktar’s coach Mircea Lucescu.

In one final piece of Spartak news, the club is still in the mood for a striker. Supposedly thinking of themselves as the Russian club of choice for Brazilians—given their recent success with Alex and Welliton, perhaps—Spartak has made inquiries into 24-year-old AZ Alkmaar striker Ari.

AZ coach Dick Advocaat acknowledged the information, claiming, “I am not surprised that a major club like Spartak is interested in Ari. He is a very good player with an excellent instinct to score goals. When he gets the ball it is almost impossible to take it away from him.”

Ari has not appeared often for the Dutch club this season—coming on only 6 times, primarily as a substitute. But the Brazilian did have greater success in his first two years with the club, scoring 18 goals in 49 total appearances.