The ongoing war in Ukraine is having knock-on effects in the world of football, and FIFA have made a groundbreaking ruling on players from Russian clubs.
Indeed, the governing body have announced that players will be able to suspend their contracts with any teams playing in Russia or Ukraine and sign a new contract with another team until this summer without facing any sanctions.
‘In order to facilitate the departure of foreign players and coaches from Russia, in the event that clubs affiliated to the Football Union of Russia (FUR) do not reach a mutual agreement with their respective foreign players and coaches before or on 10 March 2022 and unless otherwise agreed in writing, the foreign players and coaches will have the right to unilaterally suspend their employment contracts with the FUR-affiliated clubs in question until the end of the season in Russia (30 June 2022).’
‘The suspension of a contract as per the paragraphs above will mean that players and coaches will be considered “out of contract” until 30 June 2022 and will therefore be at liberty to sign a contract with another club without facing consequences of any kind.’
This means that if players wish to, they can leave their clubs for free and join another club, and with that in mind, we’re going to have a look at five Russian League players who could be Premier League-bound.
Victor Moses
The first player we’re going to look at is Spartak Moscow’s Victor Moses.
The Nigerian has so much experience in the Premier League, playing for the likes of Wigan, Chelsea, Stoke, Liverpool and West Ham.
Having spent so much time in England, Moses may want to return to the country where he made his professional debut, and at the age of just 31, he could still do a brilliant job down the right flank in the Premier League.
Jordan Larsson
Larsson is no stranger to the British isles having spent a lot of his childhood in Scotland as his father, Henrik, was starring for Celtic.
Larsson hasn’t had the best of seasons over in Russia, failing to score in the league this term, but his 15 strikes last season indicate that he’s a talented forward.
Larsson has previously been scouted by Manchester United, and given his father’s reputation in the UK, don’t be surprised if a Premier League side takes a punt on him.
Gyrano Kerk
This Dutch winger has bags of pace, and he’s previously hit double figures in the Eredivisie.
Just last week, Kerk admitted that Leeds United wanted to sign him in the summer, and Victor Orta could go back in for him if he’s available on a free.
Kerk is a very talented footballer. He’s even been praised by Robin van Persie in the past, so he shouldn’t struggle to find a move if he decides to leave Russia in the coming weeks.
Fedor Smolov
The only Russian player on this list if Fedor Smolov.
The striker has actually spoken out against the war in Ukraine, so he may well be looking for a way out of his home country, while he’s been one of the top strikers in the Russian Premier League for a number of years at this point.
The striker once hit 20 goals in a single season for Krasnodar and he would be a decent option for any side lacking goals at the moment.
Tin Jedvaj
The Croatian hasn’t been brilliant in recent years, but it’s not often that you can sign a player who was part of a team that reached a World Cup final on a free.
Jedvaj was a prodigious talent during his time with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, but a loss of form saw him shipped out to Lokomotiv Moscow.
He was a Bundesliga regular for years before heading to Russia, and as a 26-time Croatia international, he has a lot of talent.
It would be a risk, but Premier League sides may want to give Jedvaj a chance.
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