Reports linking former Chelsea youngster Nikita Haikin with a move to Premier League strugglers Everton have come as no surprise to former Russia manager Yuri Semin, speaking via Soccer RU while tipping the soon-to-be free-agent to impress on English soil.
If any club knows what it means to become a victim of your own success, look no further than a Bodo/Glimt side who, until claiming back-to-back Eliteserien titles in 2000 and 2021, had never before got their mitts on Norway’s top-flight crown.
Star striker Ola Solbakken is heading to Roma on a free-transfer. Jens Pette Hauge swapped the Arctic Circle for the San Siro too, while Philip Zinckernagel helped Nottingham Forest end their long absence from the Premier League via a stint at Watford.
Goalkeeper Haikin is set to become the club’s latest high-profile departure. The 27-year-old, once a youth teamer of Chelsea, Reading and Portsmouth, announced on Sunday that he will not be extending a contract which expires in December, such is his desire for a fresh start after three seasons in Scandanavia.
Sport24 and The Telegraph believe Everton could be his next destination. Toffees boss Frank Lampard held talks with Haikin during his time in the Stamford Bridge hotseat, and could seize the opportunity to sign a long-term target for nothing in the New Year.
Will Frank Lampard finally sign Nikita Haikin at Everton?
“(I am) not surprised by Everton’s interest in Nikita Haikin,” says Semin, who coached the Russian national team in 2005.
“Throughout this period, Nikita has been playing at a high level, in many European matches.”
Haikin started in Bodo/Glimt’s famous 6-1 thrashing of Jose Mourinho’s Roma in 2021. He also featured in February’s 3-1 win at Celtic’s iconic Parkhead stadium.
“He showed high class and played very well throughout this time at Bodo/Glimt,” Semin adds. “At the same time, he two league titles and finished as a runner-up. I think Haikin is capable of playing at the Premier League level.”
Haikin, should he join, is likely to replace Asmir Begovic at Goodison Park. The 35-year-old Bosnian will leave Everton when his contract expires at the end of the season.
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