For the second summer in a row, the Taganrog Don-Cossacks SFD keep their attention with the help of a transfer campaign. It remains to hope that the squad also holds out during the season.
10. Sergey Bolotin (from SSAU-Saratov to HC Victor)
At first glance, the transfer is even more necessary for the player himself than for the club. Bolotin did not so much stay in one place as he needed a quality shake-up to improve his skills. Moving to the ambitious Stavropol club is definitely a move in the right direction.
Inal Aflitulin remains the main playmaker of the HC Victor. There is a talented local pupil Nikita Reznik, but in case of force majeure, the club's management did not want to stay with the 18-year-old playmaker on a non-alternative basis. Now Aflitulin will have a more than worthy replacement, and Reznik will have the opportunity to learn from two diverse center backs.
9. Pavel Turaev (HC Neva SPb to HC Dynamo Astrakhan)
The left back has long been the epitome of the Neva's striking power, but this summer the St. Petersburg club started a large-scale rebuild (the scale of which depends on the speed of changing the name to you know what), and the former leader went to the lower reaches of the Volga.
Turaev's age is far from the limit, so Pavel will certainly bring benefits to the Dynamo team. They know how to play with a pronounced sniper in Astrakhan - let’s remember Mark Larin, who became the top scorer of the Super League in Dynamo. It remains only to wish the fastest injection into the Dynamo game model, coupled with the absence of injuries.
8. Chinese vector of HC CSKA and Don Cossacks SFU
The last thing you want to do is cast a shadow on the wattle fence, or do fortune-telling on the coffee grounds on the topic of which of the Chinese newcomers will do well. It is quite possible that everyone will leave a mark in the history of the Superleague, but no less likely is the option in which the handball players of the Celestial Empire will work only for the mandatory presence of players from a friendly country in the roster.
In any case, it will be at least interesting to watch the progress of the Chinese. Well, the coaches are definitely not enemies to themselves - if the class of wards does not allow them to complete the tasks, it is unlikely that foreign guests will artificially receive playing time.
7. Dmitry Svistunov (from SKIF Krasnodar to HC Permskie Medvedi)
The main part of the back line of the ‘Scythians’ was dismantled a couple of years ago – it is quite possible that the transfer of the Kuban player could have taken place even then, but Svistunov was injured. After recovering, Dmitry helped his team avoid play-offs for survival in the top division, and then moved to the Urals.
In Perm, there are big tasks ahead of Svistunov, the SEHA League, the coach of the Russian national team Valentin Buzmakov and the competition with Artyom Sukhochev for the place of the main right back are very good cards for further progress.
6. Nikolay Emelianenko (from HC Neva SPb to HC Chekhovskie Medvedi)
The transition of the pivot to the champions of Russia can be described as ‘not looking for a long time’. The departure of Pavel Andreev, who at first planned to leave for Skopje, but ended up somewhat closer, in Brest, was compensated by the Chekhovites by acquiring a handball player of similar build, who also operates on both sides of the pitch. And even the last club before the HC Chekhovskie Medvedi for Andreev and Emelianenko was the same.
At the same time, the transfer cannot be exactly called patching holes. The former pivot of HC Neva SPb and a candidate for the Russian national team is one of the best options on the domestic market. There is a great chance that Nikolai will need a minimum amount of time to adapt to the ‘bear’ tactics and the requirements of Vladimir Maksimov. In this case, the solidity of the ‘three towers’ in the center of defense will not suffer, which will increase the likelihood of the ‘bears’ retaining the title. Although the team's headquarters are aiming for an international trophy.
5. Timofey Maslennikov (from HC Chekhovskie Medvedi to HC SKIF)
In fact, any transfer would be a positive solution for the right winger. Another year of sitting on the bench or a new tearing of the understudy championship would hardly benefit the handball player who once played for the Russian national team.
Now Maslennikov will have plenty of playing practice in the absence of a load of defensive dogmas. Timofey will be able to make the most of his speed and technique, which for several years on the opposite flank has been carried out by his new teammate Tran Xuan Viet. A high-quality season can boost Maslennikov's price and return him to a top club. For SKIF, a player of such a high level, without a doubt, is a transfer success - for the first time in a long time, the Kuban got into the transfer top not only as a result of a player leaving the club.
4. Daniil Shishkarev (from HC Chekhovskie Medvedi to HC CSKA)
The captain of the Russian national team moved to Chekhov a year ago to later return to Europe. The return didn't work out. And politics has nothing to do with it - Shishkarev simply did not look stronger than his colleagues in the Super League, who had no experience of playing for the foreign giants.
Transfer to Moscow looks successful for everyone. Chekhov unloaded the payroll, thinking about the future in parallel, given the age of the right winger who came to the place. Daniil, however, has not lowered the bar, having moved to a team that will have high aims in the new season.
3. Denis Afonin (from HC Don Cossacks SFU to HC CSKA)
CSKA lost almost the entire back line in the offseason. Oleg Khodkov will largely have to rebuild it, and the arrival of a player who he knows well from his work in Krasnodar should help in team renewal.
Afonin performs well in attack, where he combines smart passes with goalscoring abilities. The head coach of the Russian national team, Velimir Petkovich, periodically complains about Denis’ gaps in defense, but CSKA needs, first of all, Afonin’s attacking potential.
2. Ilya Demin (from HC Dynamo Astrakhan to HC Chekhovskie Medvedi)
Great deal for the champions. Instead of the captain of the Russian national team, a handball player came, already now not much inferior to him, but 12 years younger. Ilya has excellent speed, good throwing technique and healthy sports arrogance. It remains to be seen how good Demin will be in defensive functions, but even if he focuses solely on attack, this will already be enough for a positive assessment of the transfer.
1. Dmitry Santalov (from HC Brest to HC Chekhovskie Medvedi)
Whatever problems the left back has with the regime in Belarus, if Santalov returns to Chekhov, at least the sample of the January European Championship, this will be a powerful help for the team of Vladimir Maksimov.
The departure of Sergei Mark Kosorotov hit the ‘Bears’ hard. The Chekhovites sank significantly both in scorer indicators and in-game intelligence. This was especially evident in the matches of the European League, and the gold of the Super League turned out to be one of the most difficult. In the person of Dmitry, the ‘bears’ will receive both a sniper and a great defender.
BONUS. Felix Kambundu (HC Don Cossacks SFU)
The leadership of the southerners decided to become the headliners of the transfer market for the second time. If a year ago in their camp appeared stellar legionnaires by the standards of the Super League, headed by the titled coach Sergey Bebeshko, now the ‘Cossacks’ excited the handball community, shifting their attention to the African continent.
The first newcomer was a young wing back from Zambia. Although his team is not among the top ones even by continental standards, Kambundu himself managed to be remembered at the African Championship, becoming the top scorer of the preliminary stage. The young age (18 years) of the Zambian is also noteworthy - however, the bitter experience of many football scouts has taught that the numbers in the documents of African athletes can differ markedly from reality.
Meanwhile, the Taganrozhites are preparing to announce a new transfer - judging by the hints in the club's social media, the ‘Cossacks’ will soon announce a newcomer from Nigeria. It remains to be hoped that the southerners' roster of the 2022/23 season will have a better fate than the previous one, and the situation when the tournament starts with one team, continues with the second, and ends with the third will not happen again.
Photo: press services of SSAU - Saratov, Neva SPb, CSKA, SKIF, Chekhovskie Medvedi, SKIF, Don Cossacks - Southern Federal University; Dmitry Marochkin
Authors: Denis Kozlov / A.Shishkarev
