Slutsky unsurprised by Premier League interest in Dzagoev

Christopher Devine

Slutsky unsurprised by Premier League interest in Dzagoev image

Outgoing CSKA Moscow coach Leonid Slutsky has said he would not be surprised to see Alan Dzagoev secure a move to the Premier League.

Dzagoev opened the scoring for CSKA at Wembley on Wednesday, before Tottenham hit back to earn a deserved 3-1 win in Group E of the Champions League and a place in the Europa League at the expense of their opponents.

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Slutsky, who had announced his impending departure ahead of the match, was duly asked to comment on Russia international Dzagoev reportedly having been watched by scouts from several British clubs.

He replied: "It's obvious Alan Dzagoev is one of the top players in the Russian league. It's not surprising that scouts were watching him and it will not be surprising if he continues his career in one of the top British clubs.

"[But] even though he scored a goal, he still has a lot of things to work on."

CSKA named only five substitutes for their clash with Tottenham and Slutsky was quick to highlight the lack of options at his disposal.

"It was very hard. We had lots of players missing and, even though we scored the first goal, I can blame the absence of the missing players," he added.

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"I would say that it was very uncomfortable to play with the missing players we had. And we had a very tough opponent to play against.

"Because of the missing players it's very difficult to compete in the Champions League.

"The only thing I can say is that I feel disappointment."

Christopher Devine