Valery Karpin about transfers of de Zeeuw, Ibson, and Carcela-Gonzalez

Spartak head coach Valery Karpin has spoken about the club’s new acquisition, former Ajax midfielder Demy de Zeeuw, as well as the possible transfers of Ibson to Fluminense and Standard’s Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez.

«What qualities made you sign de Zeeuw?»

«First of all it was his ability to control the ball and think quicky. He also can perform a decent amount of work on the pitch and is skillful, thus the Dutchman can not only create original ideas, but is capable to perform them.»

«When did your scout notice him for the first time?»

«It was two years ago, when he was at AZ Alkmaar, – by the way, together with Ari [now playing at Spartak – Sports.ru]. However, we did not consult the Brazilian about de Zeeuw.»

«How long did the negotiations take?»

«About two weeks. We were in talks with both the representatives of Ajax and the player at the same time. At first the Amsterdam club wasn’t too eager to let de Zeeuw go, but during our contacts such a desire has appeared.»

«On Wednesday the Brazilian media reported that Fluminense are interested in Ibson.»

«The Brazilians have not contacted us yet concerning this issue.»

«And what if the official offer is made?»

«As I have stated on numerous occasions, we are ready to consider inquiries about any player – it’s all about the amount of compensation.»

«What can you say about the allegedly possible transfer of Standard Liege midfielder Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez to Spartak?»

«It’s not true. Are we interested in Carcela-Gonzalez in general? Spartak is interested in all the good football players – and this player is a good one,» stated Karpin according to Sport-Express.