Now among his clients are leading players of the Russian team Andrei Arshavin, Vladimir Bystrov, Dmitry Sychev ... At the same time, Andreev remains the least public figure among his colleagues. An eloquent fact - he still has never been photographed for publication in the print media, and he is reluctant to communicate with journalists. Andreev made an exception for Izvestia correspondent Mikhail Shpenkov.
Your profession has long since become legal. Why do you stubbornly refuse to be photographed?
Well, consider that I just have such a sign (laughs). Although publicity in our profession does not harm, but, on the contrary, helps.
What is the main quality of a player for you when you make a decision, do you work with him?
Among the game qualities, in my opinion, the most important is speed. Nowhere without her today. Standing still, even with the most advanced technology, now you can’t play football. But in human terms - all people are different. I think the agent should find a common language with any player, if he, as a professional, is worth it.
Is it easy for you to work with your most famous and dearest client - Andrei Arshavin?
I will say this: we never quarreled, always found a common language. About five years ago, when we started working with him, Andrei was by no means considered the most talented among his peers. But in the end he managed to become one of the leaders of the first national team. You asked about Arshavin because of his recent statements about his desire to leave the Zenith? Well, this is his right, he defended his own interests in relations with the leadership of the St. Petersburg club. And my business was to look for an option in case he really had to change the club.
Did you believe that this could happen?
Frankly, no. You just need to know Andrey. He is truly in love with St. Petersburg and does not want to leave his city. Although it was impossible to completely exclude this option. But in the end, we found a compromise with the leadership of Zenit, and Arshavin signed a four-year contract (under this agreement, the player’s salary will be 2.5 million euros per year - the same amount is received by Guus Hiddink! - Izvestia).
Have you been looking for an alternative option for Andrey in Russia or abroad?
There were different offers. In Russia, Spartak really counted on Arshavin. There were foreign offers, but I did not take them so seriously. Enough with us the experience of my other client - Dmitry Sychev, who did not happen to gain a foothold in Marseille.
As an agent, were you not disappointed in Sychev?
Of course not. Man is only 23 years old! Surely the best seasons for Sychev yet to come.
When you just started working with the same Arshavin, Andrey still lived in a communal apartment in St. Petersburg. Did you ever get money out of it then?
Yes, I remember the communal apartment where Andrei lived with his mother ... But he already had a professional contract at that time, and he soon began to rent an apartment. Now, as far as I know, he and his own house will soon resolve the issue. But some novice players who have not yet concluded their first contract do have to give money sometimes so that they can rent a house. This is a perfectly normal practice.
In general, how much do you have close relationships with players besides work? For example, are you friends with Arshavin’s families?
Well, how can I say ... In any case, Andrei invited me to my son’s birthday - on December 7 he will be one year old.
Leading football players do not hide the fact that for them there is a certain standard in everyday life - they are accommodated in hotels of at least 4 stars, drive prestigious brands. Does the agent have to match his image here with his clients?
Yes, these nuances in our work should be taken into account - if you work with the strongest football players in the country, then you must monitor your image.
What is your car?
Do you think this is interesting to someone? I am currently driving a Land Cruiser.
Do you fundamentally work only with Russian football players?
Well, actually there was an exception - I brought Wojciech Kowalewski to Spartak. But I knew that he had already managed to learn the Russian language in Donetsk and, by his mentality, easily fit into Russian life. But in general, I personally care about, for example, that in the teams of the Premier League now only 30 percent of domestic players. Where to get the players for the national team ?! So I prefer to help the Russian players to develop.
Mikhail SHPENKOV