- Lokomotiv fans were surprised by your appearance on the team. And you?
- So, after all, Spartak from Nalchik performed brightly last year, and I was one of the leaders - that’s what they invited. I have achieved little in my career so far. And finally, the opportunity arose to achieve something with Loko.
- How did it happen that Lokomotiv came to you exactly? Did the agent work well?
“Well, probably, yes, an agent.” But I would not like to discuss this.
- Are other clubs interested in you?
- Yes, two clubs of the Russian Premier League. I will not say names.
- I watched your statistics in the Premier League. Two seasons in Dynamo - 22 games, 8 goals and 17 games, 4 goals; in “Shinnik” 15 games, 1 goal; in the Nalchik “Spartak” 28 games, 5 goals. You’re not a particularly busy forward, but you spent the best season at Dynamo Prokopenkov’s, agree?
- So far for me the best season of my career has been in Nalchik. Someone evaluates the quality of the striker by goals, but I just say that I played well there.
- And the most unsuccessful one - in Shinnik?
- For half a season I was injured and almost did not go on the field. But all that is done is for the better. In extreme cases, you can always pick up and leave the club.
- If you consider Asamoa Gyana, with whom contractual formalities have not yet been settled, then Loko currently has six forwards. Isn't the number too scary?
- Well no.
- And how do you intend with such a number of players of one role (and after all there is still Selsinho who can play ahead) to fight for a place at the base?
- Competition is high everywhere. I’ll work in training so that the coach will like it. You never know what I think: too many forwards or not too much. If the club has six forwards, then Anatoly Fedorovich needs it.
- If we assume that Sychev is the unconditional forward of the foundation, then he needs an ideal partner. Almost everyone else is suitable for growth in his teammates, including you.
- The names in the line of attack of Lokomotiv will depend only on the players themselves. They will show themselves well in friendly matches - they will get a place at the base. By the way, Byshovets has not yet told me how many forwards will be in the starting lineup and, possibly, will not tell. He had not yet decided which tactics to choose. While in thought.
- Rumor has it that Sychev goes to Spartak and O'Connor will leave for his homeland. So the number of competitors will decrease?
- Rumors are not interesting to me. Until this happens, I won’t believe it. And I don’t care who leaves. They will not immediately put it in the basis - I will try to put it.
- And who are your main competitors?
- At Loko, all the forwards are strong. In general, I do not like to evaluate either myself or other players - let the journalists do this.
- Well, and I just wanted to ask you, who do you consider the best striker of the Premier League?
“I like Jo, Wagner Love.” Of the Russians - Arshavin, Pavlyuchenko.
- Will they be your role model in the struggle for the basis of Loko? Although they are all younger than you.
- Yes, I will learn something from these players. But you need to work on yourself.
- You have a very interesting profile - you played even in the USA, in the Miami club ...
- No, I was there to watch and liked the Americans. I was offered a contract for four years, which did not suit me, and I returned to Russia. It was two months before moving to Dynamo.
- The profile also includes Saint-Etienne, PSV, Copenhagen. The handwriting of the activity of Konstantin Sarsaniya is strikingly guessed in the list ...
- Yes you are right. He took me from the youth team and drove me to Europe. The first thing I sent to the youth team "Saint-Etienne", where I spent three years. By the way, I won the French Junior Cup there - this is a very difficult tournament. Of the eight groups, two teams made it to the playoffs. The favorites were Lyon, Monaco, whose graduates are always a cut above the rest. By the way, this is a very important achievement for me. And then I went to the PSV double, also with the help of Sarsania, from where I was rented: first to the adult club - “Mastricht” from the Dutch major league, and then to Copenhagen. I changed the agent just before Dynamo.
- Why didn’t they call you from Dynamo to the national team? You stamped goals, torso exposed ...
- But I played in the second team at the base. It seems now it no longer exists.
Anton OTKIDACH