CSKA Moscow is weighing the idea of adding a notable name to its squad, and the chatter centers on Danil Krugovoy from Zenit Saint Petersburg. Vladimir Ponomarev, a veteran presence at CSKA, expressed a cautiously optimistic view about such a move. He highlighted Krugovoy’s ball control and technical comfort as key attributes that would fit well with CSKA’s playing style. Ponomarev also noted that Krugovoy’s current club status should not be a barrier, emphasizing that the team’s needs would drive any decision rather than allegiance to a single club. He pointed out that Zenit features a broad roster of foreign players, which could ease Krugovoy’s potential integration under the right conditions, especially as management looks to balance squad depth and performance levels.
Reports from Euro-Football.Ru, echoed by journalist Ivan Karpov, suggest a formal employment agreement could be reached under a flexible 4-plus-1 arrangement. The proposed contract would include a provision allowing Krugovoy to depart CSKA later on to pursue opportunities with European clubs, while clearly laying out the compensation framework that would be owed to Zenit and any other foreign teams involved in the potential transfer. This approach would give CSKA strategic latitude to manage talent while preserving pathways for a future move abroad if the situation warrants it.
Krugovoy has been a Zenit player since 2019, a product of the club’s youth development pipeline who briefly left for Ufa before returning to the top tier. In the current Russian Premier League season, the defender has appeared in twelve league fixtures and contributed one assist, noting his continued involvement at a high level of competition. His international experience includes a September 2023 appearance for Russia in a friendly against Kyrgyzstan, underscoring his recognition at the national team level and his value as a versatile back who can contribute both defensively and in build-up play.
Zenit, for its part, has often been described as a club with an abundance of foreign players, a dynamic that shapes how the squad is constructed and how players like Krugovoy are integrated. The ongoing conversation around his possible move reflects broader debates about squad composition, player development, and the strategic priorities of Russia’s top clubs. If Krugovoy were to join CSKA, it would likely impact the balance of the back line and offer CSKA a defender with solid ball-playing abilities, tactical intelligence, and experience at the highest levels of domestic competition. The evolving transfer landscape in Russian football continues to hinge on contractual flexibility, performance metrics, and the mutual interests of the selling and buying clubs, as well as the personal ambitions of the players involved.