Pavel Kucherov admits he recommended Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to Everton and Arsenal during his time as a scout at the Premier League duo, speaking to FanDay.
With arguably the world’s greatest shot-stopper a nailed-on starter at the Santiago Bernabeu, opportunities have been few and far between in the Spanish capital for 23-year-old Ukraine international Lunin.
He has started just four La Liga games all season; only stepping into the starting XI with Thibaut Courtois unavailable due to a back problem.
But Lunin is a Real Madrid player for a reason. You don’t just stumble into the Bernabau as a baby-faced 19-year-old without being one of the most talented up-and-comers in the game.
Everton and Arsenal missed out on chance to sign Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin
“He’s a top goalkeeper,” Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti said in October; Lunin keeping a clean sheet during a thumping win over Elche.
“(Lunin is) getting better every game and gaining more experience, which is the thing he’s lacking. He’s very young and he’s quality. He just lacks experience.”
If Everton had taken Kucherov’s advice on board, Lunin might have worked with Ancelotti not at Real Madrid but at Goodison Park instead; the Italian spending 18 months in charge of the Toffees before returning to the 14-time European champions.
“I also strongly recommended Lunin to Arsenal and Everton when he played for Dnipro,” Kucherov recals. “I said that such a cool guy must be signed. As you can see, I wasn’t mistaken. Now, he is at Real Madrid.”
Kucherov spent much of the 2017/18 season at Everton. A season in which the Toffees wasted millions upon the likes of Sandro Ramirez, Davy Klaassen, Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott and Henry Onyekuru.
Considering Everton’s track record in the transfer market around that time, it should perhaps come as no surprise that Lunin’s colossal potential went unnoticed on Merseyside.
“They did not want to sign Lunin because he was young, and no one was interested,” Kucherov adds.
‘He resembles a Petr Cech or a Jan Oblak’
Real Madrid eventually stumped up £12 million for Lunin in the summer of 2018. He was part of the Blancos squad which secured the La Liga and Champions League double last season. Madrid have not lost in any of the seven games Lunin has played this term either.
“He is ready to play at the top level in La Liga. He is a very complete goalkeeper, and has all the physical tools,” Lunin’s former Leganes coach told Marca during a loan spell at the now-Segunda outfit.
“I predict a great future, whether it be at Real Madrid or elsewhere. He has all the qualities of a great goalkeeper. He resembles a Petr Cech or a (Jan) Oblak. An all around, very good goalkeeper.”
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