Zenit St Petersburg are set to sign Russian international Stanislav Kritsyuk from Portuguese side Gil Vincente. According to Fabrizio Romano, the goalkeeper is returning to Russia a year after moving to Portugal from FC Krasnodar.
Stanislav Kritsyuk Signs for Zenit St Petersburg
Kritsyuk to Provide Competition to Mikhael Kerzhakov
Stanislav Kritsyuk is returning to Russia just months after joining Portuguese club Gil Vincente. The Russian had only recently joined Gil Vincente in June. The Russian giants will reportedly pay €4million to the Portuguese side to secure the services of the goalkeeper. Zenit had been in the market for a goalkeeper this summer after Andrey Lunyov left the club on a free transfer to join Bayer Leverkusen.
Kritsyuk arrives at Zenit to provide cover and competition to first-choice goalkeeper Mikhael Kerzhakov. Kerzhakov struggled with injuries towards the latter half of last season. This season too has not been great so far for the shot-stopper. The goalkeeper has already conceded seven goals in the first seven matches for Zenit and has only managed to keep two clean sheets.
Story So Far
The goalkeeper started his career in 2008 with Russian side Academia Dimitrovgrad. Kritsyuk spent several seasons in the second tier of the Russian league before securing a move to Braga in 2013. The goalkeeper struggled to break into the first team in Braga and returned to Russia in 2016, joining FC Krasnodar.
After a decent start, Kritsyuk once again fell down the pecking order. The goalkeeper spent five seasons with Krasnodar, making 72 appearances before joining the Portuguese side Belenenses last year. Kristyuk had an impressive season with the Portuguese side as they finished tenth in the Primera Liga.
Kristyuk’s impressive performances for Belenenses earned him a move to Gil Vincente earlier in the summer. The goalkeeper will return to Russia after having already made six appearances for the Portuguese side this season.
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