Shocking and at the same time expected transfer of Arsen Zakharyan to Real Sociedad

It has been a while since we had so many summer transfers, with several Armenian football players joining big European clubs at once. In August 2023, a transfer happened, shocking and at the same time expected for Armenian and Russian football. Arsen Zakharyan joined Real Sociedad for €13 million.

Arsen Zakharyan was born in 2003 in Samara, Russia, but his roots are from Martakert, from where his parents emigrated to Russia in early 90s. Although Zakharyan Sr. was working in the construction industry, his sons’ love for football was obvious. Elder brother David could not continue his career due to injury, while younger brother Artur, born in 2013, is taking his first steps in football only now. At the age of 6, Arsen already showed his exceptional talent. According to his first coach Vladimir Korolev, a bright future was predicted for him a long ago.

“I first saw him, when he was 7, and I immediately recommended him to the Krylia Sovetov Academy. At first glance, I knew he would have a great future,” Korolev said.

The words of the experienced coach in Samara were perceived pessimistically. After, Zakharyan started training at the Yuri Konoplyov football academy where he reunited with his first coach. Following his brilliant game in the Russia Youth Championship, major Russian clubs started a real hunt for him. He chose Dinamo.

“I can’t say why I have chosen this club. Of course, Dinamo’s offer was good, I really liked historical traditions of the club. Perhaps, the colors also mattered”, he laughed (colors of both Krylia Sovetov and Dinamo are white and blue, ed.).

He started his 2020-2021 season in the Dinamo youth team and scored 8 goals in 15 games. In October that year, The Guardian published a list of the best young football players, including Zakharyan:

“Zakharyan is an elegant, two-footed, versatile central midfielder who intercepts, wins second balls, moves with intelligence, creates and scores, and his ability to read the game has helped him stand out from a young age,” the website said.

British journalists were right. In November 2020, Zakharyan made his debut in the Russian Championship in front of the coaches and thousands of Dinamo fans. It took him two years to enter the list of the most expensive football players under 18. For 3 years, he played 72 games and scored 17 goals as a midfielder. It was obvious that Zakharyan’s transfer to a bigger European club was only a matter of time. Throughout 2022, English Chelsea, whose owner was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, wanted to transfer Zakharyan. However, he sold the club because of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and the new owners were not able to come to an agreement with Zakharyan’s agent. Thus, Arsen stayed in Moscow.

In summer 2023, it was reported that Zakharyan’s transfer to Lazio was almost completed. Italian media were even informed about his medical examination; however, the deal was cancelled. Spanish Real Sociedad appeared on the horizon. Negotiations with the Basque region club were fast, however they almost failed either. The reason was the requirements of the player’s agents. Eventually, following long discussions, the transfer took place, and social media of the Spanish club welcomed Zakharyan in Russian.

According to the agent Timur Gurtskaya, agents play a huge role in these cases and very often they hinder the promotion of football players.

“Actually, Dinamo has found itself in an awkward situation, showing a non-professional attitude. What right does the club with such traditions have to let their main star go at such a low price? Agents demanded a larger commission, but the numbers were not indicated in the transfer of €13 million,” the agent said.

Once Zakharyan was in the spotlight, there were speculations about the choice of the national team. In one of his interviews, his father Norayr Zakharyan said that he would not interfere with his son’s choice. “Both Armenia and Russia are our home,” he said.

Arsen did incredibly well during the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, so the choice was made.

“During 2021, there were two offers, however I joined the youth team of Russia, played at the Youth Euro and was immediately invited to the main team. Since everything happened so quickly, I did not even have to choose. The main reason is the match practice, and I hope I will be able to help the national team,” Zakharyan said.

Due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia lost the opportunity to play international games. Now, the rumors say that Zakharyan’s representatives appealed to FIFA with an exclusive request to change the player’s citizenship. According to the regulations, a player who has played an official match for an adult national team has no right to wear a jersey of another national team.

But the current unprecedented situation could change everything. The Armenian national team will definitely win if Arsen Zakharyan puts on the jersey of our national team. Can’t one of the most talented football players in Europe be useful to us? Time will show and so will Arsen Zakharyan.