Zenit Sign Hulk

[Rudi]

:weeks:

Zenit St. Petersburg bolstered its squad Monday, signing Brazilian striker Hulk and Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel to five-year deals and paying transfer fees reportedly worth a combined 80 million euros ($100.7 million) to their Portuguese clubs.

Zenit didn't disclose the transfer fees it paid to Portuguese rivals Porto and Benfica, respectively, but Reuters, citing a team source, reported that the Russian club paid 40 million euros for each player.

The 26-year-old Hulk joined Porto from Japanese side Tokyo Verdy and scored 54 goals in 103 league matches after signing in 2008.

Witsel, a 23-year-old midfielder, only joined Benfica in 2011 from his hometown club Standard Liege, where he started his career in 2006.

"We were trying to sign them before the Sept. 3 deadline for the Champions League so they can play for us in that competition as well as the Russian league," Zenit spokesman Dmitry Tsimmerman told Reuters.

Zenit was drawn last week in Group C of the Champions League along with AC Milan, Anderlecht and Malaga.

Hulk has acquired 13 caps for his country and was linked with a move to Chelsea.

Zenit said on its website that Hulk will wear No. 29 for the team.

Information from Press Association was used in this report

SOURCE: ESPNFC

[Chrispy]

Wow, wish he came to the epl though

[1ke]

Lol 80 mil......Fuuuuuuuck........What the hell......

[calgaryballer]

Gas dollaz at work

[1ke]

This just fucks the transfer market so hard.....:ohwell:

[kyhadley]

This just fucks the transfer market so hard.....:ohwell:

I feel like Russia money doesn't fuck it up since it's basically known that they have to pay a premium to get top players to come.

[1ke]

The thing is, and you may be correct, but what it does is make these teams hold out for unrealistic prices because they know Russia will come in and do it and they are dumb enough.

For instance with Wistel, he was on many teams radars. But I doubt any of those teams offered the 40, as they shouldn't have. But here comes Zenit and there all like :Lange:.

And I know that teams should hold out for more. I'm fuckin up what I'm trying to say here. Not to mention all these players now have huge price tags on their head when they should never be mentioned being worth that much. Downing a 20 mil dollar played? Witsel worth 30 - 40 mil? Just seems so fucked.

Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2

[spiker]

Holy shit

[Bigpapa42]

I don't know that Russia are really messing up the market that much. They've been doing it for a few years now. You can go back 8 years and Dynamo Moscow were overpaying (at least in Maniche's case) for Portuguese players. Then Zenit ended up paying fucking 40m for Danny in '08, which about 6 times his worth. Clubs can't really use Russian club interest as leverage that much because so many players have zero interest in playing there. The quality of the league is improving but its never going to be a footballing paradise - too cold and too much travel. Clubs like Man City and PSG are fucking the market up more than Russian clubs.

[calgaryballer]

It wasn't a paradise when it was a league in the summer. Now that they've aligned to a European schedule, you'd have to pay me zillions to play in fucking Anzi Mahchakahadlaada whatever in February

[Bigpapa42]

It wasn't a paradise when it was a league in the summer. Now that they've aligned to a European schedule, you'd have to pay me zillions to play in fucking Anzi Mahchakahadlaada whatever in February

Actually, Makhachkala is so far south its on the same paralell roughly as Buglaria and damn near to Greece. Its right on the Caspian sea, so its probably quite temperate through the winter. But its like 1200 KMs from Moscow and a long fucking way from any other club, so they travel a shit-ton. That would suck ass balls.

[citizenerased]

Actually, Makhachkala is so far south its on the same paralell roughly as Buglaria and damn near to Greece. Its right on the Caspian sea, so its probably quite temperate through the winter. But its like 1200 KMs from Moscow and a long fucking way from any other club, so they travel a shit-ton. That would suck ass balls.

They don't actually live there, the club and all it's players live and train in purpose built village near Moscow and have to fly in and out for all their home games due the fact the area is pretty much in a state of civil war.

[Rudi]

Big-spending Zenit St. Petersburg have been in negotations to acquire Manchester United winger Nani, the Russian club's general director confirmed on Thursday.

[Bigpapa42]

They don't actually live there, the club and all it's players live and train in purpose built village near Moscow and have to fly in and out for all their home games due the fact the area is pretty much in a state of civil war.

I always forget about that.

[1ke]

Oh yea, since Wietsel and Hulk have signed, Zenit have sucked, and both hate it there.