Babkin won't solve Rubin's problems: why Kazan wants to acquire the midfielder?

Rubin is ready to pay about 250 million rubles for Babkin

Throughout August, at almost every press conference, Rubin's head coach Frank Artiga has been talking about the need to strengthen the team. The Kazan coach identified at least three positions in which the club needs reinforcements. One of them is a central midfielder.

Apparently, Rubin's management intends to fulfill Artiga's first “transfer wish” in the very near future. According to authoritative insider Ivan Karpov, the Kazan club is determined to acquire 23-year-old Krylia Sovetov midfielder Sergey Babkin.

According to the source, Rubin initially intended to pay about 200 million rubles for the player. However, according to the latest information from Karpov, Kazan's offer has increased to 250 million rubles.

Lokomotiv is also actively competing for Sergey Babkin

The thing is, Rubin's competitor in the race for Babkin is Lokomotiv. The “railwaymen” parted ways with midfielder Artyom Karpukas last week, who moved to Zenit. In the near future, the capital club should also announce the transfer of Alexey Batrakov to Galatasaray.

Lokomotiv made good money from the sale of two of its leaders. But now there is an obvious gap in the center of midfield for Mikhail Galaktionov's team. In the near future, the “railwaymen” will have to patch up the holes in the squad if they are still determined to fight for the top 5 in the championship.

Sergey Babkin himself, apparently, is not against moving to either Rubin or Loko. Interestingly, the midfielder is essentially a product of the “railwaymen's” academy. Babkin played for Lokomotiv until 2023, after which he moved to Krylia Sovetov.

The buyout clause in the midfielder's current contract with the Samara club is 300 million rubles. According to the same Karpov, Krylia Sovetov expect to earn at least 270 million rubles from Babkin's sale. But Samara is unlikely to take a categorical stance if Rubin or Lokomotiv offer slightly less than the expected amount. That is, essentially, we are now seeing a very clear picture. Whichever club's monetary offer is higher — Babkin will go there.

Is Babkin really that necessary for Rubin if he still won't fill the “number ten” position?

Does Sergey Babkin as a player satisfy all of Frank Artiga's requests? Not quite. The Spanish coach needs a pure “playmaker” capable of directing Rubin's attacks. Babkin is a player of a different profile. By his role, he is a mix of Nacho and Iwu. That is, Sergey Babkin can be trusted with the “number eight” or “number six” position. But he cannot play as a “number ten” at all.

In this regard, a logical question arises. Is Sergey Babkin really that necessary for Rubin, given that the team already has Nacho, Iwu, Jochić, Khoja, Yukič? The selection of players in the center of the field is already quite diverse.

We assume that Babkin's arrival could add variability to Rubin's tactical scheme. Provided that Iwu and Babkin play in a pair closer to the defense, the conditional Khoja or Yukič could move up to the “number ten” position. Aleksandar has experience as a “playmaker” from the time of Rashid Rakhimov, and Veldin is a very versatile and universal player capable of being useful in different positions.

Of course, Babkin's transfer can hardly be considered a cure-all for Rubin in its current state. The arrival of this young talented player will not solve all the pressing problems of the Kazan club. However, Babkin's transfer is in any case interesting. The midfielder can easily strengthen Rubin.