The smoldering conflict has flared up with renewed vigor in recent days.
Spartak captain Georgy Dzhikia lost his place in the team this season, which resulted in an inadequate reaction from the player’s agent.
The defender himself does not speak out about the situation in the press, but Vadim Shpinev has already said so much that it is no longer possible to imagine further cooperation between the club and the football player.
Jikia did not accept the new reality
During his seven years at Spartak, Dzhikia managed to earn great prestige among his teammates and fans. All the more painful was the meeting with reality this season: the 30-year-old defender lost the competition to two foreigners – Babich and Duarte. A common story for professional football, but the reaction after being sent to the bench by Jikia’s agent turned out to be completely inadequate.
One can understand why the agent is nervous, but this still does not justify his behavior. Georgiy’s contract with the club expires at the end of the season, and the new conditions promise to be not as luxurious as before. The previous agreement was concluded in 2021. Then the absolutely insane figures of an annual salary of 3.5 million euros flashed in the press. After Abaskal’s decision to send Jikia to the reserves, one can no longer dream of such sums. In the fall, there was talk about two million, but given George’s current status, he is unlikely to receive this money either.
With all the ambiguity of the Spanish coach, it is difficult to accuse him of bias towards Dzhikia. The Russian has really noticeably declined over the past year: this even applies to the player’s physical form, not to mention his actions on the field. Speed was never his strong suit, and after 30 years it became even more difficult to compensate for its lack. It’s a shame to go to the bench if just yesterday you were a leader and one of the highest paid players, but no one has canceled competition in football. The agent and, apparently, his client have a different opinion.
Vadim Shpinev / Photo: © Match TV
In winter, the player’s side did not receive a good offer from the club for a new contract. And then Shpinev unsheathed his verbal machine gun and continued to fire at Spartak on a daily basis. It all started relatively harmlessly.
— The management of Spartak knows very well that we can negotiate with another club six months before the end of the contract. Dzhikia’s priority is to stay and continue his career at Spartak,” Shpinev said in an interview with Metaratings on February 3.
Just a couple of days later, he actually announced an ultimatum to the club, answering a question about the likelihood of a contract extension if the coach at Spartak does not change:
— If Abascal remains at the club, there will be no new contract. Or conditions will be offered that we will be forced to reject. I was really waiting for the call in January, waiting for the discussion of the new contract. But it is as it is. Georgy continues to prepare, he knows how to play. Yes, psychologically a little depressed, to say the least,” the “Championship” agent quotes.
“Spartak” did not react to this statement in any way, although it would have been worth it. It is unclear why management calmly accepts such public blackmail. Shpinev did not stop there and issued another comment, which began quite conciliatoryly, and ended with another attack towards Abaskal. The agent openly says that he suggested that Jikia create a core of Russian players in the team around himself in order to have a more advantageous position in the eyes of the head coach.
“He refused and said that everything should be fair, open and on a sporting basis. If the coach thinks so, then he thinks so. I know Abascal’s agent Valerio Giuffrida very well, I can show you all the questions that I asked him [по Джикии], but, to my regret, there is no response. And I remember what the management of Spartak said when they re-signed Abaskal: for us, Abaskal is everything, and any footballer is nothing for us,” RBC Sport quotes Shpinev as saying.
Shpinev has already spoken harshly and unequivocally several times against Abaskal and Jikia’s competitors. It’s hard to believe that all this is being done without the knowledge of the player himself. If it had been different, Georgy would have long ago put the conversational agent under siege.
It is difficult to perceive what has been happening lately as anything other than subversive activity. At one time, another Spartak captain, Denis Glushakov, did something similar, for whom it all ended sadly. If Jikia does not want the same fate and curses from the fans for himself, it is better to stop right now.
Next is Rostov or Baltika?
By going to war against Abascal, the agent only makes things worse for his client. The desire to get better conditions is understandable, but such harsh and public behavior will scare off other clubs. Who wants to invite a problem player and deal with such a high-profile agent? Shpinev claims that Jikia has a lot of offers, but this is hard to believe after six months in reserve.
Until recently, Lokomotiv was considered the most obvious option, in which several of Shpinev’s clients play at once. But the other day, the railroad workers already signed a player for this position, taking the powerful and younger Gerzino Niamsi from Strasbourg for 3.5 million euros. It will definitely not be easier for him and the Brazilian Fassona to win the competition for a place in the center of defense than for the Spartak foreigners. Even taking into account the lokomotiv past of Dzhikia, who played for the second team in his youth, it is still hard to believe in a move to Cherkizovo.
For obvious reasons, you shouldn’t expect him at CSKA and Zenit. It’s easier to imagine Dzhikiya in Krasnodar, which was rumored at the end of last year, but, as luck would have it, two strong foreign players are already playing there – Alonso and Tormen. Georgy is unlikely to want to exchange the Spartak store for the Krasnodar one. For the same reason, it’s hard to believe in interest from Dynamo, which already has Balbuena and Fernandez.
Georgy Dzhikia and Valery Karpin / Photo: © Alexey Eremin / Match TV, Denis Bushkovsky / Match TV
There are simpler clubs left, like Rostov or Rubin, but they will have to drop sharply in terms of salaries. They are unlikely to be able to offer more than 1 million euros. Sochi and Baltika can find such a sum, but will the Russian national team player still want to move to clubs struggling for survival? Even less money awaits Dzhikiya outside Russia. If a year ago in Turkey he could count on a solid offer, now his shares have dropped significantly.
After everything that agent Shpinev said, it is impossible to imagine Dzhikia in Spartak. Extending the contract in such a situation will cause massive image damage to the club. Not to mention the fact that Abascal does not need this player either for gaming reasons or as a potential threat to the atmosphere in the team. The final decision must be made as soon as possible.
Dzhikia would like to advise him to quickly accept the new reality and try to prove that he is not done yet as a football player. With the right attitude, he is still capable of being useful at a high level.
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2024-02-08 12:50:02
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