Andrey Lunev, former goalkeeper of Qarabağ, has revealed the reasons behind his decision to leave the club.
Currently playing for Moscow's Dinamo, the Russian goalkeeper spoke to sport24.ru about his departure from Azerbaijan’s champions. "They offered me to stay at Qarabag," Lunev said, Idman.biz reports.
"I was happy there. Baku is a super city, very comfortable. I would have stayed there with great joy. But my son turned five this year, and school preparations are starting. It was time to decide on a permanent place to live, so I returned to my hometown of Moscow. There are far more opportunities here for my son's development," he explained.
Lunev also reflected on his transfer from Bayer to Qarabag: "When I was in Germany, there were also options from Turkiye. But at that time, 'Bayer' management told me they trusted me and didn’t want to let me go. As a result, I got into great shape. Later, I had a few injuries and realized something had to change. My contract ended in the summer, and I joined Qarabag."
He further clarified his decision to choose Qarabag: "The club is a dominant force in the championship. They regularly play in European competitions, which was the most important factor for me. At that time, half of the Turkish clubs were interested in me, but there were no concrete negotiations. The most substantial interest came from Fatih Karagumruk, but I wasn't opposed to the move. However, there were changes in the coaching staff, and the club became concerned about my injury. They offered me to sign a contract without salary and pay per match, like in amateur leagues. This didn’t suit me, so I turned it down. There was also an option with Cyprus’ Apollon. They were waiting for me at the training camp and would send my ticket, but I didn't hear back from them. That's when Qarabag appeared. At that time, 'Rostov' was interested in me. However, when the national team’s goalkeeper coach Vitaliy Kafanov found out I had an option in Azerbaijan, he advised me to go."
Lunev also explained why he didn’t join "Rostov": "They were fully satisfied with Sergey Pesyakov. They wanted me to compete with him, but under those circumstances, Qarabag seemed like the better option. In the end, I have no regrets about my decision. The season in Azerbaijan turned out to be fantastic."
Lunev won the Azerbaijan Championship and Cup with Qarabag in the 2023/24 season and reached the 1/8 finals of the Europa League.
Idman.biz
