Mbark Boussoufa’s career has not reached the expected highs after joining Anzhi Makhachkala back in 2011. After five successful years and two league titles with Belgian side Anderlecht, the Dutch-Moroccan midfielder was one of the most wanted players in Europe when he in 2011 decided to move to Russia.
After two seasons in Dagestan, the former Chelsea and Ajax youngster moved to Lokomotiv in the summer of 2013 due to the collapse of the Anzhi house. His three year deal with the Railroaders made him one of the best paid players in Russia, but now, two and a half year later, it is safe to say that Lokomotiv never got the return they had hoped for from their investment.
Boussoufa is currently the second best-paid player in Lokomotiv’s squad after captain Vedran Corluka, which explains why the Red-Greens have been eager to get rid of him, especially as they are currently struggling with Financial Fair Play problems.
It has however proved a more difficult task than expected to sell Boussoufa. This summer, Lokomotiv accepted a bid from Anderlecht, but Boussoufa turned down their contract offer even though it would have made him the best-paid player in the history of the club.
“We offered him a huge salary by the standards of our club,” Vanden Stock told Belgian news outlet Sporza, “I personally stopped the negotiations with Boussoufa, because Anderlecht doesn’t need players who only think about money.”
Boussoufa was later believed to be close to signing with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, but the move never materialized.
This season, Boussoufa has only been in the squad for three games in which he has managed to pick up 46 minutes. Most of the season has in fact been spent on the youth team, and by refusing to leave Lokomotiv, Boussoufa seemed to burn his last bridges at Cherkizovo.
The demotion was Boussoufa’s second during his time at Lokomotiv. In the summer of 2014, him and fellow teammate Lassana Diarra refused to return to practice after the summer break because of a fall out with head coach Leonid Kuchuk. Lassana Diarra was later released from his contract after paying Lokomotiv a big fine, while Boussoufa eventually returned to the first team.
This winter, Al-Ittihad are again the favourites to Boussoufa’s signature, although also Belgian side Oostende and PAOK from Greece are rumoured to be interested in the Moroccan.
Asked about Boussoufa’s future, Lokomotiv Sports Director Kirill Kotov told news agency TASS that selling Boussoufa was a part of his plans this winter. It is however doubtful whether or not any clubs can meet Boussoufa’s salary demands, and by refusing Anderlecht’s offer before this season, Boussoufa proved that he isn’t afraid of sticking around Lokomotiv to keep his high salary for just a little while longer.
Meanwhile, Lokomotiv have performed very well without Boussoufa so far this season, and they are currently sitting third in the league, while they also managed to win a difficult Europa League group ahead of Besiktas, Sporting and Skenderbeu. Therefore, it could be worth looking for sports betting offers for their good form to continue. Especially now when it seems like Baye Oumar Niasse will stay with the club, as the rumours of his departure have been fewer and further apart in the past two weeks.
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Author: Toke Møller Theilade
Brøndby supporter, groundhopper and more importantly Editor-in-Chief at Russianfootballnews.com. As a hopeless romantic, I still believe Fyodor Smolov and Viktoria Lopyreva has a future together.
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