Fulham beat competitors to the second Premiership signature of a former Chelsea, Portsmouth and Charlton player, apparently encouraged, if not openly directed, by the club's new owner and president Mohammed Al Fayed, who was inspired by Smertin's equally good performance in various positions. Fulham manager Chris Coleman made it clear that an experienced player like Smertin, equally comfortable in defense and midfield, would be a key addition if the Cottagers want to climb the table.
Could Coleman be too optimistic about Smertin, who was in effect expelled from Dynamo Moscow? Never mind that the erstwhile great Moscow side was nearly relegated last year - they are "infusing new blood," as the new Dynamo manager Andrei Kobelev publicly put it. Ironically, Smertin appears too old for a country where capable young players are in extremely short supply.
Another important reason for what Coleman called Smertin's "contractual problems" was clearly his pay, and Fulham had taken full advantage of that: players with a reputation, let alone one of the best midfielders across the nation, are well beyond the means of a cash-strapped Dynamo.
This highlights a very important issue that plagues Russian football. Unlike a decade ago, when they said a young Russian talent needed only a ticket to run abroad, Smertin is only the fourth Russian playing for a foreign side right now - Alexander Kerzhakov has signed for Sevilla, Ivan Saenko is in the Bundesliga (FC Nuremberg), and Andrei Karyaka is playing for Benfica Lisbon.
Saenko has been abroad since his early years in the sport, and he has been invited to the national team several times, while Karyaka's performance has been far from successful: he is no more first-choice in Benfica, the new national manager ignores him, which was not the case when he was playing for Krylya Sovetov Samara. One example to the contrary is Alexander Kerzhakov - Sevilla will pay him more than Zenit St. Petersburg used to - but this is largely because Zenit agreed to a depressingly low transfer fee as his contract was already nearing completion. Months later, Zenit would have had to let Kerzhakov go for free.
In short, Europe is not interested in Russians. This is for a reason that in any other country might have sounded like a contradiction in terms. On the one hand, average Russian players are notoriously mediocre. Dutchman Guus Hiddink, the new Russia manager, has complained that only about thirty players are internationally competitive. Of those thirty, only two or three are being coveted by foreign scouts.
On the other, most players have long been heavily overpaid. A wage of $1.5 to $2 million per year is something few European clubs are prepared to pay. Andrei Arshavin, acclaimed by polls as the best player last year, said he would go international only if his FC Zenit won this year's premiership. That is probable - especially given Gazprom's financial backing. What is less probable, however, is that any European club would be tempted to break Arshavin's current four-year deal with Zenit, only to get a three-million-per-year hopeful.
Meanwhile, Smertin, in the beginning of his 36-month Fulham deal, has already promised to come back. Karyaka is said to be coming back, too. Many "first- and second-wave" football emigres are already back - but few of them on the pitch.
Of notable internationals, only Sergei Semak is playing for Moskva, Dmitry Sychev for Lokomotiv Moscow, and Dmitry Khokhlov for Dynamo. Goalkeepers Stanislav Cherchesov and Sergei Ovchinnikov have become directors in their native clubs, Spartak Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow. Former Russia captain Viktor Onopko is working at the Russian Football Union and studying at the managers' academy together with Dmitry Alenichev and Omari Tetradze. Sergei Yuran, a recent graduate, is managing Shinnik Yaroslavl.
Getting Russia to Euro 2008, anyone?
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the editorial board
