After poor season Kazan has worked actively on the transfer market. Seven new volleyball players will defend the colors of Zenit in the new season.
“Zenit-Kazan was able to get all of the best off-season volleyball players who were available in the transfer market”, – said head coach Vladimir Alekno.
Team joined 217cm former Russian NT middle-blocker Alexey Kazakov, outside hitters Sergey Egorov and Alexander Mochalov, setters Igor Kobzar and Lukasz Zygadlo, opposite Roman Yakovlev and libero Alexey Verbov.
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“In general, we have gained the best you can get in a situation that has been on the market. I took those people who know how to win. Maybe if I start with “Zenit” champion for the fifth time, it led us to act differently. Now we need to regain the championship, but we’ll see. Kazakov, Verbov and Yakovlev are experienced players in the last season showed that they can play and benefit”, – told reporters Alekno.
Besides Alekno told about the plans of the team in pre-season work for the new season: “The preparatory work is already underway. In Italy will be three training sessions, we will prepare for the tournament in late August and in September. We have the first stages of the Cup of Russia”.
Last season “Zenit” had won only the bronze medal of the Russian championship and finished third in the Champions League. It was the worst performance of the club in recent years.
Alexey Verbov and Sergei Yegorov are coming second time in the Tatarstan team. Last season Verbov won silver medals with Ural and few days ago won World League with national team. He will replace Alexey Obmochaev, who left the club because of violations of the discipline. Club left setters Valerio Vermiglio and Igor Kolodinskiy, spiker Alexey Cheremisin, outside hitters Yury Berezhko and Vitaly Matychenko, middle-blocker Ivan Demakov.
The main problem for «Zenit» is condition of the Olympic champion middle-blocker Alexander Volkov. He said in an interview that he has not yet recovered after London’s injury. “Unfortunately, I had not yet recovered from injury. About the beginning of the season I can say that it is difficult to guess. We will be practising in Italy and there it will become clear, if I can continue my career or not. If there is a relapse, then, of course, I will not be able to play professionally.”