"We strive to become a top club too"

Kaliningrad "Baltika" became the main sensation of the last Russian Football Championship draw. Having just returned from the first league, Andrey Talalaev's team immediately took sixth place in the RPL: this is the best result in the club's history. At the same time, even before the penultimate round, they retained their chances of winning bronze medals. The athletes are currently training and preparing for the new season, which starts at the end of July. In an interview with Izvestia, Ravil Izmailov, CEO of Baltika, assessed the chances of improving the results of the last championship, told which positions needed to be strengthened, and also commented on possible logistical difficulties and revenue from the contract between RPL and Match TV.

— Do you have to make efforts in the current transfer window to keep most of the squad?

— We really have to make serious efforts. It's a difficult transfer window, but it's intense and interesting. It's still in full swing.

— How sure can we be that Kevin Andrade's departure to Zenit will be the only major loss for Baltika?

— There is such a possibility, but still it is only a possibility. I can't say anything definitively about this yet.

— How many more players are needed, and which positions need to be strengthened?

— Several positions require reinforcement. In particular, the attack. I will refrain from naming the number of newcomers — I never publicly disclose information if it may negatively affect the club.

— The budget of Baltika, according to published data from the Russian Football Federation, was about 3 billion rubles last season. Did you manage to save it?

— The general concept of the budget remains almost the same.

— Taking into account the place in the table, did Baltika earn significantly on the payments that RPL distributes between the clubs based on the results of the TV contract?

— We took the sixth place. Accordingly, we received significantly more income than expected. But at the same time, our bonus fund has grown more than we expected. (He smiles.)

— So the cost of the premium "ate up" the income from a higher place?

— No, they didn't "eat" it, but these amounts influenced each other. Nevertheless, we are in the black if we compare these figures.

"Talalaev's absence on the sidelines affected the results"

Baltika football player Nikolai Titkov — about the disqualifications of the head coach of the team, preparations for the new season and the chances to repeat the success of the last championship

— How do you like the calendar of the upcoming season, which was recently published by the RFU and the RPL? How convenient is it for Baltika from the point of view of logistics?

— In general, everything is fine. There are no unpleasant factors. In December, we will have a match in St. Petersburg with Zenit, at a stadium with a roof. That is, we will play the tour in the warmth during the winter month, which is an absolute plus. There are four home games in Kaliningrad in August, which is also good, because the field recovers much faster in summer than, for example, in November.

— Can we expect that Baltika will repeat or surpass the result of last season in the championship?

— Mentally, we are approaching the new season with confidence. The selection of players also gives rise to positive forecasts, since we have already formed the backbone of the team, a friendly and powerful team, and at the same time quite experienced. At the same time, we are conducting a transfer campaign and, in any case, we expect to strengthen, we hope that players will come to Baltika who will only add and help the club move forward.

— Due to the increased frequency of drone danger signals in the northwestern regions of the country in late spring and early summer, are there concerns that this will affect Baltika's logistics when flying from Kaliningrad and back?

— There are concerns. I've encountered this difficulty several times at airports, when it was difficult to leave and I had to wait a very long time for a flight. But this is a given that we cannot influence. We need to take it and calculate how the team will prepare. In our football, everyone understands the situation. The RFU and the RPL always meet clubs and fans halfway if difficulties arise. So we will promptly respond to possible problems and discuss each step towards their solution.

— Is Baltika ready to compete with top clubs over a long distance, despite the fact that it is more than twice as expensive as them?

— We are developing step by step with Baltika. And we also strive to be a top club. We are preparing to compete for high places for more than one season. Our goal is to show good results with the available budget. Anything is possible, and we demonstrated this last season. We don't want to stop there. We have ambitious people in our team, all maximalists. Therefore, I think that next season we will also have good results.