Maxim Demenko, once a player at Spartak Moscow and Krasnodar, recalls the curious situation surrounding the St. Petersburg club Zenit and defender Danil Krugovoy. Demenko, a former Zenit player from St. Petersburg, voiced his confusion about why Zenit sent Krugovoy to the reserve squad after Krugovoy signed a contract. A move to CSKA Moscow followed, a development Demenko describes as unexpected guidance for fans of Euro-Football.Ru (Source: Euro-Football.Ru).
“They could have kept him calm for the duration of the contract instead of triggering panic. And this is clearly panic. They offered the Russian footballer a substantial sum, eight million euros, and they did not consider Tiknizyan’s personal contract value. Then they presented five million euros to Skopintsev, which explains the confusion. It would have been possible to let Krugovoy stay calm about the situation”, Demenko noted (Source: Euro-Football.Ru).
CSKA announced on January 17 that it had secured a four-year agreement with Krugovoy. The plan was for the defender to remain with Zenit in the latter half of the 2023/24 season and then transfer to the Moscow club as a free agent once the contract expired. Following the official announcement, Krugovoy was moved to Zenit-2 and began training with the squad (Source: Euro-Football.Ru).
Krugovoy has been a Zenit player since 2019. The product of Zenit’s youth system stayed with the club until 2018 before moving to Ufa. In the current Russian Premier League campaign, Krugovoy has appeared in 12 matches and provided one assist, contributing to Zenit’s strong standing as Petersburgers sit in second place in the championship (Source: Euro-Football.Ru).
There is a broader sense among observers that Krugovoy’s emergence at Zenit over the years has shaped his value in the market. The transfer talks, the reserved responses from the clubs, and the dramatic offers all point to a complex negotiation climate in which a player’s loyalty, form, and contractual terms intertwine. Demenko’s remarks reflect a mindset among former teammates who watch the modern game’s pressures—where financial incentives and contract terms can rapidly shift a player’s trajectory (Source: Euro-Football.Ru).