Konoplyanka Almost at Besiktas. Everything You Need to Know About the Transfer of Ukraine's National Team Leader

In short: it all looks good.

Deal details

There is no official confirmation of Yevhen Konoplyanka's transfer to Besiktas yet, but foreign media report that all parties have already reached an agreement. The Ukraine national team winger is expected to fly to Istanbul shortly to sign a four-year contract with a salary of 2.5 million euros per season. According to various reports, Schalke will receive compensation of between 3 and 3.5 million euros.

Why is this happening for Konoplyanka?

The Ukrainian was on a very good contract at Schalke, but last season he was far from the first team and rarely got playing time: in total he played 21 matches for the Gelsenkirchen club in all competitions, but in the Bundesliga he played fewer than 700 minutes.

This summer Schalke changed head coach again, but even during the break it was clear that Konoplyanka would not work with David Wagner (ex-Huddersfield). — Even then it was clear that the team was not counting on him and was ready to let him go. The reason was simple: the team's No. 11, who had not been a starter for the last year and a half, had the highest salary on the team.

Konoplyanka's statistics at Schalke

Konoplyanka signaled his readiness to change clubs again back in January, when it became known that he had acquired a star agent. Fali Ramadani, who is called the "Eastern European Mino Raiola," took on his affairs. Presumably, Konoplyanka got in touch with the Albanian, who also works with stars such as Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Bayern) and Luka Jovic (Real Madrid), through one of his close friends, Matija Nastasic, who is also among Ramadani's clients.

Since Konoplyanka's stock fell in the last season, a good option in Italy, where Ramadani has connections, could not be found, so the Turkish option was considered early on: there, they do not hesitate to offer generous contracts to players who have been pushed out of Europe's top leagues.

Konoplyanka turns 30 in September, and it was clear that the contract after Schalke could well be his last in his career. At least, a financially attractive one. Initially, Yevhen was expected at Fenerbahce, and negotiations between the parties were actively progressing as early as June, but the transfer did not go through. That is when Besiktas appeared on the horizon.

Yes, the negotiations dragged on, and at certain stages there was even talk of the deal falling through, but in the end excellent terms were secured for Konoplyanka: not only will Besiktas, unlike Fenerbahce, play in European competition (the Europa League group stage), but there is also a four-year contract with a very decent salary.

What awaits Konoplyanka at Besiktas?

First, Zhenya will definitely find a Russian-speaking teammate: Domagoj Vida, the ex-Dynamo player, has been playing at Besiktas for a year and a half. Given that Zhenya apparently speaks English reasonably well, this is of course a joke. Seriously, this is competition, including with another former Dynamo player.

Last season, the left flank of Besiktas' attack was occupied mainly by Ryan Babel (in the first part of the season), Guven Yalcin and Jeremain Lens (in the second). Babel has been gone from Besiktas since winter (he moved via Fulham to Galatasaray, which became champion last season), Yalcin was used as a striker in the first match of this season, and Besiktas apparently is preparing to sell Lens — there are reports that PSV may bring him back.

In the lost match against Sivasspor (0:3) in the opening round of the Turkish Super Lig, Ricardo Quaresma covered Besiktas' left flank without much success. The Portuguese is talented but already too old; he turns 36 in September. Konoplyanka, in turn, has not yet passed his functional peak and may well give Besiktas what Quaresma no longer has the strength to provide.