Former Azerbaijan international and current FIFA agent Anatoli Ponomaryov has explained why striker Musa Gurbanli struggled to establish himself during his spell with Swedish club Djurgarden.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing an interview with sportal.az, the former Qarabag and Baku midfielder believes the timing of Gurbanli's move played a decisive role in his difficulties.
"I think Musa joined Djurgarden at a difficult moment. The timing was not right. Sometimes you need luck on your side, and the team also needs to be performing well for you to find your rhythm," Ponomaryov said.
He explained that Gurbanli arrived in Sweden during the break in the Azerbaijani football season, while the Swedish championship was already underway.
"Djurgarden had no striker, so they immediately started playing him. The team was not winning, and Musa was not scoring. In such situations, everything becomes negative," he noted.
Ponomaryov believes the striker's career in Sweden could have developed differently under more favorable circumstances.
"If Djurgarden had been winning matches and had another striker, Musa could have gradually started playing and adapting to the team. Perhaps everything would have turned out differently. Overall, I cannot say Musa performed badly. He simply arrived at the wrong time. I still believe he is a good footballer," he added.
The former Azerbaijan international also discussed his recent visit to Baku, where he attended the FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival to scout young talent.
"It was a really good tournament. There were so many teams and players. I came to Baku with a friend and colleague who is Serbian and lives in Austria. He is the brother of the Milinkovic-Savic brothers and runs a successful agency. We spotted several interesting players," Ponomaryov revealed.
Asked whether Azerbaijani youngsters have the potential to move to European clubs, the agent acknowledged their talent but warned that such transfers remain extremely difficult.
"Yes, there are good players. But you have to understand that simply saying you want to play for a European club is not enough. There are so many footballers around the world, and everyone wants to move to Europe. You need to be two or three times better than many other players," he explained.
Ponomaryov also highlighted the difficulties created by the lack of European Union passports among Azerbaijani footballers.
"This makes it even harder for European clubs to sign Azerbaijani players. In most cases, they can only bring them in when they turn 18. It is not easy," he said.
The former midfielder confirmed that he continues to follow Azerbaijani club football and recently attended the goalless match between Sabah and Qarabag.
Although he described the encounter as interesting, Ponomaryov admitted that his busy schedule prevents him from regularly watching Azerbaijan's national team.
He also confirmed that he is not currently working with any players from the senior national squad.
