Shatov: The level of the Russian Premier League is declining

Oleg Shatov, a former player of Zenit, shared his thoughts on the current state of Russian football. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.

He addressed the issue of legionnaires in the national championship. According to Shatov, the quality of foreign players has been declining in recent years.

However, the positive aspect is that many promising young Russian players are emerging. He mentioned Kislyak and Batrakov as examples.

According to Shatov, they have the potential to become strong players with good training and attitude. If there are many strong foreign players in the current league and no restrictions, they might not get the opportunity to play.

In the 2025/26 season, restrictions on legionnaires will be in effect in the Russian Premier League (RPL). Teams can include a maximum of 13 foreign players in their roster, and there can be eight foreign players on the field at the same time.

These rules are expected to have a positive impact on the development of Russian football. Shatov's thoughts were conveyed to the public through the Smol Talk channel on YouTube.