Manuel Veth –
As we head into the final day of the January transfer window, one of the big questions surrounds the future of Spartak Moscow winger Quincy Promes. Heavily linked with a move to Southampton the English Premier League club had already an offer of £24.5 million turned down for the services of the 26-year-old winger.
After dominating the Russian Football Premier League for the last 18 months that also saw him win the Russian title with Spartak Moscow previous spring—breaking a 16-year title drought in the process—Promes certainly seems ready for the next step. In fact, his lack of playing time in one of the major European leagues has often been identified as one of the critical reasons for the troubles that the Netherlands have recently experienced. A player of his calibre, so the tenor should be playing in one of the top four leagues.
And there is no doubt Promes is a fantastic player. This season alone he has torn the RFPL apart by scoring ten goals and six assists. A pacy winger he cuts in at will to create goalscoring chances. Fast on and off the ball Promes also has a fantastic vision to identify goalscoring situations before they materialise aiding or executing plays himself to get his team on the scoresheet. What also stands out is his ability to drop deep and make plays happen. But there is a downside to this he has never proven himself in a top European league.
Promes is not negative towards a move to Southampton
It is, therefore, no surprise that Promes himself does not seem to be negative about a possible move to Southampton right now. At the same time Promes also has a strong connection to Spartak and would only leave if Southampton meet all off Spartak’s demands, which would be to meet the release clause of £30 million and also pay £4.5 million directly to Promes, which are part of a 15% on top fee, which gets triggered should a foreign club want to sign Promes.
On Tuesday night with 24 hours to go Southampton were still optimistic that a deal for the winger could be achieved. Speculations were further increased after Spartak signed Algerian national team playmaker Sofiane Hanni from RSC Anderlecht.
Sofiane Hanni has already completed his medical for Spartak Moscow. The Algerian is, however, Promes replacement. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
The Hanni to Spartak Moscow deal has to be seen as a separate transaction, however. As discussed on the latest Futboglrad Podcast the Algerian is brought in to replace Bulgarian attacking midfielder Ivelin Popov, who is understood to leave the club this window. With this in mind Southampton not only entering the last 24 hours of the transfer window with either the option of triggering the exit clause and fulfil all of Spartak’s demands, but they also have to hope that Spartak can secure an immediate replacement for Promes.
There is no doubt that Promes will not separate ties with Spartak should the club not have done his homework and brought someone else in. After all there is no pressure on Promes to leave the club right now. The Dutch winger could easily finish the season in Russia and hope that a run in the Europa League could even further increase his chances to land at a top European club in the summer.
Southampton would be a perfect in-between step for Promes
Southampton are considered a prime destination for talented players wanting to make an in-between step to one of the big European sides. A well-run club the Saints have developed countless stars for other clubs and most recently sold Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool for a record-breaking €80 million—making him the most expensive defender in the history of the game.
Quincy Promes has been Spartak Moscow’s best player the last 18 months. (Photo by Epsilon/Getty Images)
Van Dijk is, of course, a teammate of Promes at the Dutch national team and there is no doubt that the two have talked about the Saints when it comes to Promes’ next career step. At the same time, Quincy Promes has also been linked with several other clubs in recent years including van Dijk’s recent club Liverpool, as well as Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund.
With the transfer window clocking in on its final 24 hours Southampton and Quincy Promes have to make some hard decisions. Will the Saints meet Spartak’s demands and pay the full £30 million to make Promes Southampton’s record signing? Will Promes leave Spartak now and join the Saints? We will find out as the clock is ticking towards the final showdown.
Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and social media editor at Bundesliga.com. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which will be available in print soon. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada. Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.
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