We believe in our idea and our path
Friday, June 12, 2026
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Shakhtar CEO Serhii Palkin spoke about the club’s transfer activity during the summer break
– Mr Palkin, what are the plans for the pre-season?
– The plans are for the players and coaching staff to rest. We played 52 matches; the season was very long and exhausting, so it is important to recover properly. At the same time, our work in the transfer market does not stop. As you know, we have extended the contracts of Lassina Traore and Marlon Santos, signed Bruninho and Gleiker Mendoza, and our academy graduate – the experienced Oleksandr Karavaiev – has returned to the club. I do not rule out further transfers; we are working on it.
– But Shakhtar have lost Yukhym Konoplia…
– Yes, Yukhym made the decision to move to another club and change league. We are grateful to him for his contribution to the team’s results and the trophies he has won. We offered him a new contract, but he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and we respect his decision. When we learned that he had decided to leave the club, we did not keep him on the bench, did not send him to train with the youth team and did not create any pressure. We treated the player with respect, and in return, when he was given a place in the starting line-up, he gave his all on the pitch and helped us win the title. Players have contractual obligations; they are not in slavery, and we do not live in the Stone Age – and this is important to always remember. We have long proven that Shakhtar is not a “golden cage”. This is known by Anatolii Trubin, Heorhii Sudakov, Oleksandr Zubkov, Mykhailo Mudryk, Danylo Sikan and Kevin. These players helped us achieve results and later decided to try themselves in another league, and we had no right to hold them back. Yukhym also left Shakhtar in a civilised manner, and I hope that he will continue to progress and enjoy his football in the Bundesliga. We wish him success in his future career.
– How did the negotiations with Oleksandr Karavaiev go?
– Overall, they were not difficult as he is a graduate of our Academy, he knows Shakhtar and we are well aware of Oleksandr’s abilities. When it became clear that Konoplia was leaving the club, we began searching for a worthy replacement. We entered into negotiations with Karavaiev in accordance with the rules, when less than six months remained on his contract. By the way, I have read that we are being accused of having “stolen” the player or lured him away. This is complete nonsense that has nothing to do with reality. We acted in a civilised manner, in full compliance with all standards of respect and ethics in both cases – regarding both Konoplia and Karavaiev. Essentially, Karavaiev’s move to us is in some way similar to Konoplia’s departure from us. In both cases, the players themselves made the decision to change clubs. We are therefore pleased that we reached an agreement and are looking forward to him joining the training camp. I’m confident he will provide serious competition for Vinicius in the right-back position.
– Dynamo president Ihor Surkis stated that he does not intend to create a “Brazilian national team” and is focusing on Ukrainian players in one of his interviews. In the context of Oleksandr Karavaiev’s transfer from Dynamo to Shakhtar, how would you comment on the Dynamo president’s words?
– We respect Ihor Surkis’s vision, but we have our own philosophy, our own path, our own style of play and our own understanding of the club’s development. We believe in our own idea and continue to develop. Club president Rinat Akhmetov has said on more than one occasion and I will repeat his words: for us, a patriot is not necessarily someone who was born and raised in Ukraine, but someone who works for the benefit of Ukraine. We are a Ukrainian club, and if foreign players are willing to come to us, we understand that they can strengthen the team and create competition for our players. And that will drive us forward. The fact that we and Dynamo have different approaches is absolutely normal. Football is not only a contest between teams or players, it is a battle of ideas. We believe in our idea.
– The plans are for the players and coaching staff to rest. We played 52 matches; the season was very long and exhausting, so it is important to recover properly. At the same time, our work in the transfer market does not stop. As you know, we have extended the contracts of Lassina Traore and Marlon Santos, signed Bruninho and Gleiker Mendoza, and our academy graduate – the experienced Oleksandr Karavaiev – has returned to the club. I do not rule out further transfers; we are working on it.
– But Shakhtar have lost Yukhym Konoplia…
– Yes, Yukhym made the decision to move to another club and change league. We are grateful to him for his contribution to the team’s results and the trophies he has won. We offered him a new contract, but he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and we respect his decision. When we learned that he had decided to leave the club, we did not keep him on the bench, did not send him to train with the youth team and did not create any pressure. We treated the player with respect, and in return, when he was given a place in the starting line-up, he gave his all on the pitch and helped us win the title. Players have contractual obligations; they are not in slavery, and we do not live in the Stone Age – and this is important to always remember. We have long proven that Shakhtar is not a “golden cage”. This is known by Anatolii Trubin, Heorhii Sudakov, Oleksandr Zubkov, Mykhailo Mudryk, Danylo Sikan and Kevin. These players helped us achieve results and later decided to try themselves in another league, and we had no right to hold them back. Yukhym also left Shakhtar in a civilised manner, and I hope that he will continue to progress and enjoy his football in the Bundesliga. We wish him success in his future career.
– How did the negotiations with Oleksandr Karavaiev go?
– Overall, they were not difficult as he is a graduate of our Academy, he knows Shakhtar and we are well aware of Oleksandr’s abilities. When it became clear that Konoplia was leaving the club, we began searching for a worthy replacement. We entered into negotiations with Karavaiev in accordance with the rules, when less than six months remained on his contract. By the way, I have read that we are being accused of having “stolen” the player or lured him away. This is complete nonsense that has nothing to do with reality. We acted in a civilised manner, in full compliance with all standards of respect and ethics in both cases – regarding both Konoplia and Karavaiev. Essentially, Karavaiev’s move to us is in some way similar to Konoplia’s departure from us. In both cases, the players themselves made the decision to change clubs. We are therefore pleased that we reached an agreement and are looking forward to him joining the training camp. I’m confident he will provide serious competition for Vinicius in the right-back position.
– Dynamo president Ihor Surkis stated that he does not intend to create a “Brazilian national team” and is focusing on Ukrainian players in one of his interviews. In the context of Oleksandr Karavaiev’s transfer from Dynamo to Shakhtar, how would you comment on the Dynamo president’s words?
– We respect Ihor Surkis’s vision, but we have our own philosophy, our own path, our own style of play and our own understanding of the club’s development. We believe in our own idea and continue to develop. Club president Rinat Akhmetov has said on more than one occasion and I will repeat his words: for us, a patriot is not necessarily someone who was born and raised in Ukraine, but someone who works for the benefit of Ukraine. We are a Ukrainian club, and if foreign players are willing to come to us, we understand that they can strengthen the team and create competition for our players. And that will drive us forward. The fact that we and Dynamo have different approaches is absolutely normal. Football is not only a contest between teams or players, it is a battle of ideas. We believe in our idea.