Lombaerts Needs to Look Beyond Russia and Zenit St. Petersburg

Already out of the Champions League and unlikely to return next season Lombaerts needs to choose his next move carefully.

As the final whistle blew on Zenit St Petersburg’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Benfica, Nicolas Lombaerts was probably left wondering what could have been.

Zenit and Lombaerts had been near-faultess in the group phase, picking up five wins in their first five games – as well as two clean sheets – to top their pool with a game to spare.

Champions League glory and a place in the quarter-finals surely beckoned, with Zenit drawn against Benfica – a side they had beaten in three of their previous four meetings in Europe.

But in the immediate aftermath of their surprise home loss to O Glorioso, Lombaerts’ sense of regret may have extended beyond Zenit’s European failings.

Because Lombaerts came close to taking a different path this summer and the Belgian defender may now be contemplating the very same scenario with the picture looking far from rosy at Zenit.

Last summer, the 30-year-old had looked all set to say goodbye to the Russian Premier League.

Former Zenit coach Dick Advocaat had sounded out the defender over a potential move to his new club, Sunderland,

with several news sources suggesting a fee of £5 million had already been agreed.

Maybe it was the idea of moving to the less-than-glamorous locale of Wearside or maybe Lombaerts was less keen on joining a side deep in the Premier League relegation mire over the past few seasons but for whatever reason the Belgian seemingly got cold feet.

Though, given his comments at the time, even that suggestion is open to debate.

At the time, several reports claimed that Lombaerts had in fact failed a medical, but the Belgian had other ideas.

“The medical was not an issue,” Lombaerts told Sky Sports News’ Gary Cotterill.

“I don’t want to talk about the medical. People are making up stories. I decided to stay in Russia.”

“Other teams in England were interested but I wanted to stay here. It’s my home here, and I feel happy.

“I have four games to become a Zenit legend. I will spend the remaining three years here, and maybe end my career here.”

In September Lombaerts reached 250 games for Zenit as the first foreigner, which earned him a spot in Zenit’s ‘Legends Club’.

Quite what the truth is remains something of a mystery but some eight months on from those comments and Lombaerts’ quest to become a Zenit legend is under threat.

Out of he Champions League, despite their fine showing in group phase, the reigning champions sit sixth in the Russian Premier League and look increasingly unlikely to qualify for European football next term.

Meanwhile, with manager André Villas-Boas already announcing his intention to leave Zenit at the end of this season, there is a sense of uncertainty surrounding the future of the club’s squad.

With many players underwhelming this season and star player Hulk likely to be subject to several big money offers from abroad over the summer, change could be afoot.

And in this kind of climate, Lombaerts’ legacy may well be better preserved by a move away from Zenit rather than one that sees him remain with a club in danger of serious decline or one that, at the very least, could require a major overhaul.

A move to the Premier League represents the ideal scenario for any number of reasons, not least the likely considerable remuneration on offer in the English top-flight.

For years, Lombaerts has played understudy to the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Vincent Kompany on the international scene – two defenders who cemented their places in the Red Devils’ first team by impressing consistently in the Premier League.

Until now the Zenit defender has been forced to play second fiddle to the pair, despite impressing in Russia.

When Kompany was rested for the last of Belgium’s group games at the 2014 World Cup, Lombaerts was drafted in and performed dutifully with the Marc Wilmots’ team winning 1-0 against South Korea, despite the first half sending off of Steven Defour.

A hardworking defender who is confident on the ball and boasts a fine passing range, Lombaerts would walk into most national teams.

But despite once being described by Wilmots as a “warrior with a lot of experience” the defender has traditionally played second fiddle to his more recognised defensive stand-ins.

With Zenit now in a state of flux and Kompany looking increasingly injury prone for Manchester City this season it could finally be time for Lombaerts to test himself somewhere away from the Russian Premier League.

Having readily admitted that there was plenty of Premier League interest last summer, it could be high time for the 30-year-old to put himself in the shop window.

With the next World Cup in Russia representing what could be Lombaerts’ last chance to shine on the global football stage, it would be somewhat ironic if he route to glory in 2018 started by leaving the very same country.

Yet for all his talk of becoming a Zenit legend, the happy truth is that, even if Lombaerts were to leave the club this summer, his status as a favourite of the St Petersburg crowd is probably already assured.

Now it’s just a case of convincing the footballing world of his merits.

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Author: Jack Beresford