Максим Салівон
Artem Dovbyk is having his best season at the professional level. It took the Ukrainian striker only six months to enchant the Spanish public with top-class football.
From round to round in La Liga, Girona’s November Player of the Month never tires of proving that the almost eight million euros spent by the Catalan club on his acquisition in August was a perfect investment. 11 goals and 6 assists in 19 matches is a remarkable interim success.
At the end of 2023, the transfer value of the Ukrainian national team forward is already twice the amount of money spent by the “white and reds” to buy out Dovbyk’s contract from Dnipro-1 – currently, Dovbyk’s transfer value is 15 million euros against 7.75 million for the last transfer.
Girona knows how not to miss the moment when saying goodbye to the team’s best players. Therefore, there is no doubt that the hard work of getting Artem to a more ambitious club has already begun behind the scenes.
I offer you 6 options for Artem Dovbyk’s ideal career continuation: three clubs from Italy, a change of club in the Spanish league, and two options in England.
Help for a respected Italian signor
Massimiliano Allegri is taking successful steps to restore Juventus to its former glory. His “zebras” are near the top of Serie A and are characterized by the most effective defense. On average, this Juventus concedes less than once per match. However, the “old lady” has a significant flaw, which is related to the need for an infusion of fresh blood.
We are talking about the performance at the opponents’ goal. “Juventus doesn’t score a lot. The figure of 23 goals in 15 rounds speaks for itself. Dusan Vlahovic, the best scorer in Turin, does not live up to expectations. Five goals in 13 matches since the beginning of the season is not the result expected from the Serbian. Arkadiusz Milik, Moise Keane and, even more so, Kenan Yildiz are even less productive “copies” of Dusan.
In such circumstances, it is natural for Juventus to look for a great striker who is equally strong on the ground and in the air. It should not be forgotten that Vlahovic is constantly being “sold” to the leading clubs of the Premier League, and this Juventus will not refuse a lucrative offer for any player in the team. In this case, Dovbyk’s employment in the most titled Italian club, with which he is associated by the Spanish edition of El Gol Digital, will become much closer.
A nice bonus is the possible move of Shakhtar midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov to Turin. In case Dovbyk and Viktor Tsygankov part ways, Artem may receive significant support in the form of another compatriot in a new place.
A new wolf in the pack led by Jose
Before the start of the season, Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku joined the roster of Roma. The Portuguese wolves’ coach Jose Mourinho got a long-awaited strong young man in the center of the attack, who does not duplicate the capabilities of another “pillar” – the Englishman Tommy Abraham. When the Briton was seriously injured, it turned out that there was no alternative to Romel, and he became the leader of the “pack”.
And everything would be fine for the Wolves, but we should not forget that Lukaku does not have a permanent status in the Eternal City. Romelu is a loan player whose fate will be decided in cabinet talks. The latter will not necessarily be successful. Given Lukaku’s very good performance, Chelsea, who own the rights to the Belgian, will ask for a pretty penny for Romelu. The current Roma are not the “Italian sheiks” who don’t count euros.
So the attempt to find a cheaper insurance policy for the Belgian is not accidental. According to all the laws of the football genre, Roma is looking for a player who is actually no worse than Lukaku in terms of skills and abilities, but is a less “promoted” or “pop” character, and whose price on the market is much lower. Artem Dovbyk meets all these criteria almost perfectly. Moreover, Dovbyk actually has a huge head start. We’re talking about four years that Lukaku is older than him.
As a result, the option with Wolves is quite workable. Under certain circumstances, Artem could suddenly become the main striking force of a team that has real opportunities to consistently claim a position in the top 4 of the leading Old World championship.
A partner for Lautaro in the snake’s den
After the departure of Edin Dzeko, Italy’s strongest club in recent years was left without a ram-type striker. Yes, Marcus Turam and Marko Arnautovic, each of whom is over 1.90 meters tall, joined the roster of the Internationale, but both Lilian’s son and the Austrian are players who act in a slightly different manner.
Currently, the Snakes’ offensive line is complete. Simone Inzaghi has four forwards at his disposal, while in most matches the team uses two on the field. However, this impression immediately becomes a misconception when conducting the simplest analysis.
First of all, Inter’s two strikers, Arnautovic and Alexis Sanchez, are 68 years old (both 34). In such circumstances, the need to refresh the front line before the Nerazzurri arises by itself.
Secondly, despite the fact that one position on the field is assigned to the leader and best player of the team, Lautaro Martinez, there is sometimes no one to pair with the world champion Inzaghi. Not quantitatively, but in terms of the quality of the game. Six goals by the same Turam in the first part of the season is a relatively good result, but Marcus has not become a part of the team. There was no understanding and “chemistry” between him and Martinez on the field.
A hypothetical transfer to Inter carries considerable risks for Dovbyk. The competition for a place in the lineup with Turam will be tough. But in this case, Artem will immediately have the opportunity to compete for the title in one of the strongest European championships.
To Madrid to join the Indians
Artem is a striker who can adapt to the tactical whims of the coach. Dovbyk can play a pronounced winger, and can be useful in attacks from deep. He is able to complete the efforts of his teammates with his lower limbs, and can squeeze the opponent on the second floor. He has been trained to be effective in positional attacks, but will also be effective when his team plays as a so-called “second number”.
Such savvy and game variability of our footballer cannot but impress one of the most talented tacticians in modern football, Diego Simeone. During the years of the Argentine’s “reign” at the head of the Indians, Atletico has experienced several tactical and personnel revolutions. Now the “mattresses” are in a period of accumulation of forces for high-profile victories. And Cholo needs a player of Dovbyk’s caliber.
Simeone currently has four strikers at his disposal. However, Angel Correa is more inclined to play on the wing and does not impress with his size, and only Alvaro Morata is available from Diego’s “classic” center forwards. The latter cannot be called an ideal attacker in his current state, and one should not hope for a miraculous epiphany from the 31-year-old.
The Fichajes publication reports that Simeone is personally interested in Dovbyk’s move to the Spanish capital. Obviously, Cholo sees Artem as a competitor, and in the future, Morata’s successor, who could potentially form a striking duo with Antoine Griezmann. For Dovbyk, this turn of events, with the opportunity to continue to progress in the already familiar leading European championship, looks like a good development.
Foggy Albion is not far away
In Western Europe, there is another championship in which Dovbyk will feel like a fish in water. We are talking about the strongest championship in the world – the English Premier League. And there are also “vacancies” here that suit Artem.
After the sale of Harry Kane, Serhiy Rebrov’s first stop in Western European football, Tottenham, was left without a textured center forward. The new Spurs coach, Angelos Postecoglou, has long been limited to shifting the emphasis to using the lightweight Son as the main striking force, but this bet artificially limits the team’s tactical potential.
Tottenham is used to dealing with players from Eastern Europe, and the Londoners’ traditionally impressive capabilities make Tottenham one of the most promising clubs in the EPL.
Roberto De Zerbi’s project in East Sussex is no less promising. It is important that the Italian knows the UPL and the capabilities of our players not by hearsay, and not so long ago the media linked Shakhtar defender Mykola Matvienko to his Brighton side. For example, the Seagulls have a 19-year-old prodigy, Evan Ferguson, who promises to grow into a great player and acts in a forceful manner that is typical of Dovbyk.
However, Brighton, like Girona, is not one of those teams that marinate their best players for years and then bite their elbows after an untimely separation. The experience of selling Caicedo and McAllister indicates that the situation will develop quickly in the case of Ferguson. There is no doubt that Dovbyk’s name will be among the potential candidates for strengthening the team in this case.
Where do you think Artem Dovbyk should go? Should Artem change the club at all?
Photos: depositphotos.com, shutterstock.com, twitter.com/GironaFC_Engl
