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It's been speculated for a while now, but the move of Yuri Zhirkov back to Russia is now complete. The 28 year old signed a four year contract with the newly rich Anzhi Makhachkala, and Chelsea will receive €15 million for allowing him to exit in the final year of his contract. According to the report, Yuri hopes to be in the lineup for Anzhi's next match:
I am very glad to be here, in Makhachkala, and frankly I didn’t expect to be received so well. It’s like a dream! I hope to appear in the field already in the match against Spartak, especially as I managed to score a nice goal against them back when I was a Chelsea player
He was a disappointing signing for Chelsea after arriving for £18 million. He started 32 total matches and was a substitute 16 times in his Chelsea career during which he failed to make much of an impact. When all is said and done, this sale will probably be good for all parties involved. Chelsea get a pretty solid amount of money considering how little Zhirkov has shown lately combined with his age, Yuri will get to play regularly, and Anzhi get a talented Russian fan favorite to add to their roster as they attempt to join the elite in their league. Best of luck Yuri, I wish you were healthy enough here that we got to know you a little better.