The excitement around Krasnodar goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and his the possible transfer to PSG seems to have interrupted even the next championship of Zenit. For almost a week now, the public has been discussing the high-profile transfer – at first with disbelief, and now it’s almost a done deal. But is the deal really that good?
According to the latest information from sources, the deal is at a decisive stage. In the near future, Safonov must go for a medical examination, if successful, the parties will shake hands. It's time to discuss whether the transfer is a good idea for PSG, Krasnodar and, of course, the goalkeeper himself. On paper, the transfer of a Russian to one of the leading clubs in the world looks like a great story, but there are a lot of nuances.
PSG really needs Safonov…The Parisians solved the problem with number one in the summer of 2021, when they lured Gianluigi Donnarumma from Milan. The talented Italian, who made his debut in senior football at the age of 16, was acquired by the French giants as a free agent, and it was one of the club's best transfers in the last decade. Thus, management closed the problematic position for many years, without spending a single cent.
But one goalkeeper is not enough to stop you from worrying about the last line of defense. In his first season, Donnarumma competed with the very experienced Keylor Navas – both played an almost equal number of games. But in the second year, the Italian had already firmly established himself in goal and even forced the Costa Rican to go on loan to Nottingham. Sergio Rico and Alexandre Letellier remained as backup, who had no chance of ousting their competitor from the base. Navas, who returned last summer, also failed to do this – he played only six matches in all tournaments last season.
Now the vacant position as Donnarumma's replacement has become vacant. 37-year-old Navas is leaving the team due to the expiration of his contract, and Sergio Rico has been recovering for more than a year after falling from a horse and is unlikely to return to football. There is also a young Spaniard, Arnau Tenas, who was released from Barcelona last summer, but he is apparently not yet ready to fully compete with the “number one.”
Thus, one of the main tasks of PSG for the upcoming transfer window was the search for a goalkeeper. At the same time, the Parisians do not want to take either a too young goalkeeper or, conversely, an experienced goalkeeper at the end of his career. What is needed is a full-fledged combat unit that can, if necessary, painlessly replace Donnarumma and at the same time have personal ambitions. And Safonov looks like a great option. By the way, he was born on the same day as his future teammate – February 25, 1999.
… but as a second goalkeeper It happens that coaches evenly use two goalkeepers during the season, but most often this is forced practice. In the case of Donnarumma in his first year in the team, it became a necessity for adaptation and the presence of Navas in the squad. But after three years, the Italian has become a leader and has no plans to return to the bench. Even if he sometimes makes serious mistakes, he is still one of the strongest goalkeepers in the world. Moreover, he is still very young by the standards of the role, and therefore capable of progress.
If Safonov's transfer takes place, at least in the debut season the Russian will sit under Donnarumma. It’s hard to believe that Luis Enrique is ready to throw a newcomer into battle from the very first matches. It will take time to adapt, and from the example of Arsen Zakharyan we see how difficult it is sometimes for our guys to get used to new conditions. For example, Alexander Golovin has become the leader of Monaco only in the last couple of years.
Safonov will have a real chance to find a place in the PSG team in a year or two. By that time, he will already become part of the team, learn the language, and play with the defenders. It is possible that Donnarumma’s status may change. The Italian's current contract is for only two years, plus rumors about his possible sale are already appearing from time to time. But in any case, it’s hard to look that far, and in the first season Safonov will play at best a dozen matches, mainly in the French Cup.
It is better to train with Dembele and Marquinhos than to play in RPLI. Based on the previous points, it is important to say how right this decision is for Matvey himself. It’s much easier for Zakharyan at Real Sociedad – he got a chance to prove himself one way or another. Safonov will have to wait for the French Cup or non-tournament matches of the championship and European cups. If Donnarumma is healthy, even without additional factors like adaptation, the Russian will have very little playing time. And how the need to win a place from a obviously stronger competitor will affect the goalkeeper is difficult to predict. There are different examples – both Andrei Lunin, who took advantage of the injury of Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid, and Andrei Lunev, who failed to break into the Bayer squad.
On the other hand, some experts reasonably believe that the transition to another level itself will have a positive effect on Safonov. Even training next to higher-class players helps you progress. It’s a pity that Matvey won’t be able to fend off Killian Mbappe’s shots, but Marco Asensio and Ousmane Dembele can also give him a lot. And Marquinhos with Milan Skriniar and Presnel Kimpembe will teach him to interact with the defense even more confidently.
By the way, Safonov’s coaches are interesting. When Luis Enrique formed his coaching staff last summer, he invited 31-year-old Borja Alvarez from the Andorra club, who had no experience at this level. Nevertheless, the Spaniard has an excellent education and several degrees, and also managed to work in Hong Kong and Almeria with Real Madrid legend Guti. In addition, at PSG he is assisted by 50-year-old Jean-Luc Aubert, who has been working in the club system since 2013 and was on the staffs of Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier.
Not to mention the conditions. Just a year ago, the team officially moved to a new state-of-the-art base worth 300 million euros. A luxurious training complex with an area of 728 thousand square meters is located a couple of tens of kilometers from Paris. By the way, Luis Enrique settled here after his appointment, so Safonov will probably live at the base for the first time. It seems that even after the excellent conditions in Krasnodar he will remain impressed.
What will Kafanov and Karpin say? In this case, the opinion of the national goalkeeping coach is more important than the opinion of the head coach. Actually, Karpin never hid the fact that responsibility for this position lies entirely with the assistant. Kafanov chooses the “number one”, decides who to take to the training camp, who to give how much playing time in friendly matches, and who to just watch in training. At the same time, Vitaly Vitalievich always noted Safonov as a player in the starting lineup and, by and large, selected competitors for him. Therefore, it is curious how the Russian national team reacted to the fact that the leading goalkeeper could be left without playing practice at the club for the next couple of years.
The other day, Kafanov, in a conversation with Sport Express, directly and at the same time diplomatically answered a question of interest. The national team coach openly said that Safonov would not immediately become “number one” at PSG. At the same time, he supported the transition if Matvey gets at least some chances and has the right to make mistakes. As an example, Kafanov recalled Lunev’s trip to Bayer, where, although he took to the field, he was unable to take advantage of rare opportunities.
Another thing is that now is the ideal moment for a transfer to PSG from the point of view of the national team. Unfortunately, the national team only plays friendly matches, and this will remain the case for at least another couple of years. Just this period can be calmly devoted to the club, adapting to new realities, and so on. From time to time it will be possible to fly to the national team for a change of scenery, as was the case with Zakharyan. It’s okay if Safonov misses five or six matches of the national team, but Kafanov will watch everyone else in action. If only the adaptation process in France did not drag on longer than the ban lasted, and the “number one” was in optimal condition before returning to the international arena.
The best advertisement for RPL and Krasnodar Such large transfers from Russian teams to top European clubs were rare even in the best of times. Recent examples can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but each of them caused a surge of interest in RPL abroad. It’s no secret that our football is hardly followed in Europe, and even less in the last two and a half years. It is clear that scouts still look at players, but it rarely comes to real negotiations. High financial demands of football players, difficulties with transferring funds for transfers, reputational risks – these are only part of the arguments against doing business with Russian clubs.
Stories like the one with Zakharyan and now with Safonov help break down this wall. European clubs, who were afraid to even look towards the RPL, see from such examples that they can bring in Russians. Of course, we shouldn’t talk about some kind of mass exodus of our players abroad thanks to Matvey, but the transfer is indicative. Especially if he manages to prove himself.
There is nothing to say about Krasnodar – the deal is successful on all sides. Firstly, the club will receive good money. The Bulls have never sold anyone for 20 million euros; this is twice as much as they received from Lokomotiv for Fedor Smolov (9). Secondly, Krasnodar is making a transfer with a top European club for the first time, which will also affect its international reputation. In addition, this is a great advertisement for the academy. Thirdly, the “bulls” have Stanislav Agkatsev as a replacement, plus it won’t be difficult to invite a reputable goalkeeper with the proceeds.
In the end, it turns out that all the doubts around the transfer are connected only with the future of Safonov himself. “PSG” will close the problematic position, “Krasnodar” will receive big money and advertising, even the national team may not worry too much. After all, for the Russian football community this is perhaps the number one topic for the coming summer. But whether Matvey will get a boost in his career remains to be seen.
PollSafonov's move to PSG is…
An excellent option. We need to move without hesitation and compete with Donnarumma77%Better to be number one in Krasnodar than to play 10 matches a year for PSG23%VoteVoted:361May 27, 14:35
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