Fedor Smolov joins Celta Vigo on loan

Lokomotiv Moscow have confirmed that forward Fedor Smolov has left the Russian Premier League to join Celta Vigo on loan. The 29-year-old Russian international will play for the Galician side until this summer.

Smolov scored three goals in 14 RPL matches this season, and 11 goals in 48 Lokomotiv matches overall. The 2015/16 & 2016/17 RPL top goalscorer joins a Celta side in the relegation zone in Spain’s top-flight having scored just 17 goals in 21 league games so far.

Smolov will follow in the footsteps of modern Russian legends Valery Karpin and Aleksandr Mostovoy who both played for Celta in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He joins compatriot Denis Cheryshev in La Liga, with the latter currently playing for Valencia.