The additional registration campaign in Russian football is coming to an end, which means that 90% of clubs have already completed the last deals to strengthen their squads. Direct transfers between clubs are no longer possible, there are still a couple of days left to sign contracts with players who have long been without clubs. Tulskie Novosti analyzed Arsenal’s work on the transfer market in the past additional registration campaign. We tell you which players came to the rescue, who encountered difficulties in adapting, and who may leave the Tula club this winter.
Over the last few months, the Tula club has been joined by no less than 17 football players. A whole team! It is worth mentioning that Vladislav Levin came to the Tula club after a two-month absence, but formally he is a newcomer like the others.
Goalkeepers
Timofey Kashintsev transferred to the Tula club from Sochi for monetary compensation in the amount of 8 million rubles. The 20-year-old goalkeeper showed himself well on loan at Tekstilshchik Ivanovo. In 34 games, he was able to keep his goal intact 15 times and missed only 24 goals. At the moment, he has no game practice, since Levashov took his place in goal from the first match of this season and looks like the undisputed number one. Probably, the young goalkeeper needs a loan again to gain game experience. But this option will be possible only if Sugrobov remains on the team.
28-year-old Vladimir Sugrobov has transferred to Arsenal from Khabarovsk SKA. The experienced goalkeeper has played more than seventy matches for SKA, 28 of which were shutout. By the standards of the First League, he is an experienced goalkeeper who can strengthen the No. 1 position in many clubs. Given the lack of game practice, it cannot be ruled out that the footballer will consider other options for continuing his career in the winter transfer window.
Defenders
Rostov’s 19-year-old central defender David Semenchuk has moved to the Tula club for 5 million rubles. The player has come into his own in Storozhuk’s team, becoming a key player in the current part of the championship. The player’s status as a “limit player”, which every team must have on the field, gives him additional value. Semenchuk will face tough competition after Bolshakov and Botaki recover.
27-year-old Nikita Pechenkin also fit right in with the Tula club, having transferred from Tyumen. In critical moments, he performed his duties well in the center of defense and is a rotation player.
27-year-old fullback Alexey Berdnikov moved to Arsenal from Neftekhimik. This is a 100% hit. From the first rounds, he won a place on the right flank of the Gunners’ defense and it is already difficult to imagine the Tula team’s game without him. Alexey is reliable in defense and actively joins in attacks. So far, he lacks effective actions, for example, like his counterpart Popov, who plays on the opposite flank.
27-year-old central defender Zakhar Volkov joined Arsenal at the “flag” of the transfer window, having been loaned from Khimki. Perhaps one of the most prestigious newcomers to the team: the main defender of the Belarusian national team, champion and winner of the Belarusian Cup, participant in European Cups. Volkov has not spent even two weeks in Tula, but has already played 2 matches for the Tula club, in which the Tula team did not concede from Baltika and Ural. It would be a shame if the player leaves Arsenal after the end of the loan.
21-year-old fullback Grigory Zhilkin joined Arsenal on loan from Krasnodar. He lost the competition in defense to Popov, but as a limited player he also appears on the field on the left flank of the attack. He distinguished himself with an assist in the match against Yenisey. Grigory will probably end up in the starting lineup of the team more than once during the season.
Midfielders
28-year-old midfielder Oleg Dmitriev, along with Volkov, looks like the most prestigious newcomer of the past summer. But unlike the Belarusian, Dmitriev signed a full contract with Arsenal. The footballer, who played for Fakel in the RPL, and for Baltic clubs in European competitions, is still having a hard time adapting to his new club. Having started the season as a starting player, after Levin returned to the team, he sat firmly on the bench. We wish the experienced footballer to successfully overcome the crisis and reach a high level.
24-year-old midfielder Nikita Razdorskikh moved to Arsenal from Yenisey Krasnoyarsk. He regularly comes on as a substitute in the Gunners’ matches. He scored the winning goal against Rotor Volgograd. He will probably get another chance to secure a place in the starting lineup during the tournament.
29-year-old midfielder Vladislav Levin returned to Arsenal from Sochi two months after his transfer from the Tula club. He returned as if he had never left – he immediately took a place in the center of midfield and is in the starting lineup in every game.
25-year-old midfielder Alan Tsaraev has moved to Arsenal from Alania. After a short adaptation, the Ossetian footballer became a main player and is currently one of the centers of the Gunners’ attacks. He has already scored a goal and made an assist, which is a good result for the Tula club.
25-year-old midfielder Danil Lipovoy joined Arsenal from Krylia Sovetov, but the player spent most of his career on loan at First League clubs. Alexander Storozhuk uses the player as a winger and at the beginning of the season it brought results – 2 goals in the first four matches. Having retained his place in the starting lineup, Lipovoy has decreased in his scoring. If the player can regain his former goal-oriented nature, he will become one of the most successful transfers of this summer.
23-year-old midfielder Andrei Nikitin joined Arsenal from Lokomotiv on loan. As with Lipov, he spent the last few years on loan at First League teams. He spent last season at Khabarovsk SKA, which was the most successful in the footballer’s career (2 goals + 5 assists). Having left a pretty good impression in the opening match against Chernomorets, Nikitin played a half against KAMAZ, after which he practically disappeared from the radar. At the moment, one of the most unsuccessful transfers of the summer campaign.
Forwards
This line is worth mentioning separately. It has been completely updated compared to last season and so far this update is proceeding with great difficulty. Barkov, who was considered an objective reserve when Okoronkwo was “alive”, looked like a more skilled player against the background of today’s Arsenal forwards. Alas, Barkov left for Leningradets, Okoronkwo went to Turkey, and Arsenal began to look for a new striker from the available options.
24-year-old Ilya Azyavin moved to Arsenal from Murom. Having become the top scorer of the Second League “A” last season (19 goals in 30 matches), “Ilya Muromets” was the main lot on the Second League transfer market. Tula Arsenal was able to get him. However, Storozhuk has not been able to achieve from him what Perevertaylo achieved from him in Murom. Either he does not fit the playing model, or the level of the Second and First Leagues is so different, but so far Ilya has not been able to distinguish himself with effective actions. Over the past month, he has appeared as a substitute only once. If the situation does not change dramatically, then he is one of the candidates “to exit” in the winter transfer window.
22-year-old forward Maxim Turishchev moved to Arsenal from Rostov. He spent the last two years on loan, but played more than thirty RPL matches for Torpedo and Rostov. It is worth noting that Maxim did not score any goals in them. He does not score any goals at Arsenal either, but he does have an assist in the match against Neftekhimik. At the moment, he is a confident number two, replacing Malik.
18-year-old Malik Odeyinka joined Arsenal on loan from Botev. The young Nigerian had not previously played at a professional level and was known only for his performances for the international Vista, which specializes in training African youth and their subsequent employment. Malik made his debut at Arsenal and scored his first goal at a professional level. At the moment, Odeyinka is the number one forward among all. The Nigerian clearly has a set of qualities that a forward needs, but so far, his implementation is lame. If he manages to improve this component, he will be able to score quite a few more goals for Tula before returning to Botev.
26-year-old striker Roman Minaev moved to Arsenal from Ufa, with whom Roman received the right to be promoted from the Second League to the First in the spring. Roman ended up at the Tula club for the second time and again unsuccessfully. Alexander Storozhuk trusted Minaev with enough playing time, but Minaev failed to show his sniper qualities. At the end of August, Volga came to Roman, planning to return to the First League – Arsenal did not keep him. It is worth noting that Roman has not yet broken through in the Ulyanovsk team (0 goals in five matches, despite the fact that his teammates scored 11 goals in them).
Summing up the past transfer campaign, we can safely say that the Tula team did an excellent job. Seven newcomers are currently solid players in the main team, that is, in essence, a new team was assembled. Considering that after eleven rounds the team is in first place and without defeats, we can say that the current season’s Arsenal was assembled successfully. It is worth adding that a minimum of funds was spent on completing the team, since most of the players came as free agents. The transfers of Kashintsev and Semenchuk may pay off in the future with a surplus – both are young and can still greatly improve both in playing qualities and in transfer value.
It is also striking that the team is recruiting players who are capable of fulfilling the coaching staff’s requirements for the volume and intensity of work. Hence the complete absence of players over 30 years old, most of these players find it very difficult to adapt to the current Arsenal football.
