The season in the Spanish La Liga has come to an end, and for the Catalan club Girona, it ended on a sour note — the team has been relegated from the top division. Dropping down to the Segunda División has become a serious test for the club, forcing it to rethink its financial strategy. In Spanish football, there is a strict rule: upon relegation, players' salaries are automatically cut by 50%. This reality is forcing the club's management and the footballers to seek new paths for development.
Viktor Tsygankov: the last chance to sell
The situation with the Ukrainian foreign players in the Catalan squad is developing differently. The one closest to changing his club affiliation is Viktor Tsygankov. The winger is at Girona under a contract that expires in a year. For the club, this is a critical moment: if a transfer does not take place in the near future, in six months the player will be able to leave for another team as a free agent, which would deprive Girona of transfer fees.
Vladyslav Vanat: retention strategy
Regarding other representatives of the Ukrainian national team — Oleksandr Pischur, Vladyslav Kravets, and Vladyslav Vanat — the management's position is radically different. The club intends to keep them in the squad despite the relegation. Special attention is being paid to the striker Vladyslav Vanat, whose transfer fate has become the subject of tough internal policy.
Girona's management has categorically blocked any offers to transfer the 24-year-old striker this summer. A year ago, the club bought the Ukrainian from Kyiv's Dynamo for 17 million euros. Now, however, Girona has put a price tag of 30 million euros on the player. Understanding that no one will pay such sums for a footballer playing in the second division, the Catalans have devised a cunning strategy.
The club's plan is for Vanat to spend a season in the Segunda División, becoming the main force in the fight for promotion back to the elite. After returning to La Liga, the striker must deliver another powerful season to justify the inflated transfer value and sell him for a record sum.
Statistics and prospects
Despite the tough conditions, the player has prospects. In his debut season in Spain, Vanat started his career at Girona very decently. In 29 matches across all tournaments, he scored 10 goals and made two assists. However, the prospect of playing in the Segunda División hardly seems like an ideal option for a footballer of his level. Nevertheless, Girona has made it clear: no one intends to sell him right now.
Vanat's current agreement runs until June 30, 2030. The portal Transfermarkt values the Ukrainian national team striker at 15 million euros, which is significantly lower than the club's demands but reflects the current market situation.
