Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Spartaks they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Spartaks are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Musa Afeez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Spartaks, another week without a signature from Musa Afeez.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 15 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vitalijs Jagodinskis and Spartaks agree another 3 years.
“I did not go to Daugavpils to sit and watch. I want to come back to Spartaks and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Eduards Oss is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Spartaks asked and Valenciennes said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Musa Afeez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Olegs Ciganovs and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“I watch every Spartaks game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Metta/LU runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Spartaks would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
Spartaks opened the door and nobody walked through it. So Olegs Ciganovs stays — listed, trained, and available — while both sides mark the days to January on the same calendar.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Liepaja waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Spartaks can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Paide have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Olegs Ciganovs was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Aleksandrs Savalnieks leaves Spartaks the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Spartaks people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Spartaks close the window on a squad of their own making
1 in and 4 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Musa Afeez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Koper have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
A loan enquiry to Paide: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Eduards Oss falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Spartaks has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Spartaks, and it is not being withdrawn.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Spartaks they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Olimpija Ljubljana have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Musa Afeez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Add another name to the list: Jelgava have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Pavels Fertovs. The answer from Spartaks has not changed — yet.
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Spartaks will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Eduards Jagodinskis and Spartaks agree another 3 years.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Ventspils waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Wasiu Jimoh was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Levski have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Abdulrauf Abdulwariz is 20, and Spartaks have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Spartaks, and it is not being withdrawn.
Wasiu Jimoh and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Kauno Zalgiris have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The phone has started ringing about Eduards Bulvitis again, and this time the name on the line is Beroe. Spartaks are listening politely and promising nothing.
Spartaks have made the call to Rapid Bucharest. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Eduards Oss was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The offer from Jelgava for Vitalijs Bulvitis was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The phone has started ringing about Rodion Dmitriev again, and this time the name on the line is Daugavpils. Spartaks are listening politely and promising nothing.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Musa Afeez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Spartaks, another week without a signature from Musa Afeez.
Spartaks have made the call to Spartak Trnava. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Spartaks have made the call to NK Maribor. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The registration window is open and the phone has started. Between now and the deadline this club will be linked with forty players and sign three, which is the usual ratio.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberts Zjuzins will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Spartaks the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Musa Afeez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
In brief
The dugoutJoke Efevwerha asks for a word with the manager
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Eduards Oss was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
The dugoutJoke Efevwerha asks for a word with the manager
Musa Afeez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Rodion Dmitriev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Spartaks know it.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Raivis Fertovs is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
In brief
SquadWords at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberts Zjuzins will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Spartaks the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Wasiu Jimoh was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Musa Afeez is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Wasiu Jimoh and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Musa Afeez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Through a full week of training without a reaction, and already asking for a place. Spartaks will be careful with him and he will resent every day of it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Eduards Oss falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberts Zjuzins will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Spartaks the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Musa Afeez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Spartaks, another week without a signature from Musa Afeez.
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Spartaks, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Olegs Ciganovs was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Spartaks, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The word out of the training ground is that he has been the sharpest man there all week. It is the quietest story a paper carries and it usually runs the week before somebody's run in the side begins.
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Vitalijs Zjuzins’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
Wasiu Jimoh and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Kristaps Savalnieks is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
6 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
In brief
SquadWords at Spartaks training over how hard people work
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Spartaks can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Vitalijs Zjuzins is 17, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
In brief
SquadWords at Spartaks training over how hard people work
The dugoutEduards Dubra knocks on the manager's door
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Spartaks are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Wasiu Jimoh was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Eduards Oss was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Two hours a week with a tutor, which is the least glamorous thing at Spartaks and the one that decides whether a foreign signing is still here in two years.
Musa Afeez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Olegs Ciganovs was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Spartaks, and it is not being withdrawn.
Spartaks asked and PAOK said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Musa Afeez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Spartaks would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
In brief
MarketThe window shut and Vitalijs Bulvitis is still in the building
SquadQuestions about Olegs Rugins on the training pitch
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 5 arrived, 3 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Zalgiris is saying, and nobody at Spartaks is enjoying the guessing.
Musa Afeez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Barau have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Olegs Ciganovs is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
In brief
SquadWords at Spartaks training over how hard people work
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Spartaks have done the hard part with Zalgiris, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Wasiu Jimoh was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Musa Afeez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Spartaks would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Wasiu Jimoh and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Olegs Ciganovs was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Spartaks people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The offer from Metta/LU for Alvis Zjuzins was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Kauno Zalgiris have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Olegs Jurkovskis is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The name of Pavels Fertovs has come up in conversations Spartaks were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
He is doing things every Saturday that nobody around him can answer. It is flattering for a season and a problem after that, and Spartaks know which stage they are at.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Nizhniy Novgorod waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The offer from Metta/LU for Olegs Ciganovs was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Everything agreed with DAC Dunajska Streda, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Spartaks had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Remo Stars, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Wasiu Jimoh was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Musa Afeez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Spartaks know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Wasiu Jimoh is living that version at Spartaks, and it tends to show in the first month.
The offer from Akron for Rodion Dmitriev was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Spartaks asked and CSKA Sofia said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Olegs Ciganovs is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is doing things every Saturday that nobody around him can answer. It is flattering for a season and a problem after that, and Spartaks know which stage they are at.
DAC Dunajska Streda have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
In brief
Transfer targetsA loan move for Azeez Agboola is in the works