Denis Makarov signs for Rubin Kazan

Rubin Kazan have snapped up the third-highest goalscorer in this season’s FNL, Neftekhimik midfielder Denis Makarov. The former Orenburg youth product scored 11 goals in just 20 second-tier matches before the winter break, or once every 146 minutes.

Makarov is the third signing of the winter break already, and the second from the FNL, after Ivan Ignatyev’s switch from Krasnodar and Torpedo Moscow full-back Igor Samoshnikov. After Vitaliy Denisov’s release, and the end of Vidar Kjartansson and Egor Sorokin’s loan spells, this move further lowers the average age of Leonid Slutskiy’s squad to just 24 years old. Only CSKA Moscow have a younger team.