Sports
Ukraine ace Illya Zabarnyi urged to avoid Tottenham move after Prem offer
A move to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur would come too soon for Dynamo Kiev defender Illya Zabarnyi, veteran Ukrainian coach Myron Markevych tells Sport UA.
Over the weekend, reports emerged from Eastern Europe suggesting that the 19-year-old center-half had received a late offer from an as-yet unnamed, London-based club ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.
Were Spurs the club in question? Well, they are the only English side who have been linked with the teen sensation this summer.
Zabarnyi, who already has 22 caps for the Ukraine national team, is two-footed, highly-intelligent and versatile enough to play on the right or the left.
You can see why Fabio Paratici, the Spurs director with an eye for a bargain, would consider bringing Zabarnyi to the capital. But, according to Markevych, one of Ukraine’s brightest talents must be wary of making the giant leap to the Premier League, and instead opt for a safer route with far fewer potholes.
Is Illya Zabarnyi ready to leave Dynamo Kiev for Tottenham Hotspur?
“Who is Zabarnyi? What English clubs? They will not even notice him there,” says Markevych, who led Dnipro to the UEFA Europa League final in 2015.
“Dynamo currently does not have a single football player (who could move to) a serious league. Maybe the Belgian league.”
When quizzed on Zabarnyi’s future following Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Dnipro, coach Mircea Lucescu insisted that the teenager would still be a Dynamo player during next weekend’s trip to Zorya Luhansk on September 3.rd.
“Maybe it was my last game, but not Zabarnyi’s,” he said.
Tottenham turned Cristian Romero’s loan deal into a permanent transfer on Tuesday. Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier and Ben Davies have come on leaps and bounds under Antonio Conte. That’s without mentioning Clement Lenglet either.
Zabarnyi, then, would have plenty of big names ahead of him in the pecking order if he takes Lucescu by surprise and does end up at Tottenham before the window closes.
“I think he will not play for Dynamo for more than a year. He’ll be bought by a European giant,” Ukrainian tactician Vyacheslav Hroznyi predicts.
“This defender is fast, well-balanced, technical, and plays well. He doesn’t break the rules much. If I were Pep Guardiola, I would take him to Manchester City.
“Why? Because they only have Ruben Dias, (as) a high-level central defender.”
In other news, Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal are exploring late move for £30m winger with ‘crazy potential’
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