Former Zenit player Konstantin Lepyohin shared his thoughts on the club's summer transfer campaign in an exclusive interview. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
While discussing the Jerson issue, he stated that he does not believe the player is doing this to increase his value. On the contrary, the interest from Saudi Arabia has created a problem.
Often, one team wants to acquire a player, then another team intervenes, resulting in a complicated situation. According to Lepyohin, if Jerson decides to join Zenit, it will be a significant boost for the club.
He believes it will be a good reinforcement that will positively impact the club. When asked if it would be enough for Zenit to bring in just one strong player in the summer, he replied: I hope so, at least one strong player needs to be acquired.
However, how the player performs at the club will become apparent over time, so any transfer result can be evaluated over time. Evaluating Zenit's summer transfer campaign, Lepyohin emphasized that the internal transfers within Russia did not happen due to the club's desires.
If the team had the will, the transfers would not have ended unsuccessfully. He also believes that players in the Russian Premier League are not afraid of difficulties when moving to Zenit.
For this reason, players like Daku and Osipenko would be ready to join Zenit, as they are determined players. Financial restrictions for football clubs from state-owned enterprises are being discussed.
Lepyohin stated that such restrictions will not significantly impact Zenit, as most clubs are primarily funded by the state. These restrictions may create difficulties in acquiring new players, but clubs will find legal ways to circumvent this.
He also emphasized that establishing financial limits for all teams would be beneficial, especially for creating competitive and equally strong teams for the spectators. Although the Petersburg team is not used to strict financial restrictions, they will adapt to it.
In this case, the team will choose from the existing players and will not have to spend money on new players. Sometimes this approach can also be beneficial.
According to Lepyohin, Zenit always knows how to manage its budget wisely, and this is one of their strengths.
