First of all, Slavia can afford this transfer thanks to the fact that it was bought by billionaire Pavel Tykač. Without the security and new possibilities that his entry into the Vršovice club opened up, Zim’s arrival would most likely not have been feasible. Tykač highly values the work of coach Jindřich Trpišovský and his team. By getting him the dream reinforcement, he clearly demonstrated his trust.
The Red and Whites are heavily armed before the spring part of the season, the effort to end the two-year fast without a title is absolutely evident, after all, the chairman of the board of directors, Jaroslav Tvrdík, and others declare this publicly.
Winter has help to overcome Sparta. From a purely sporting point of view, he should be a reinforcement. He is intelligent, fast, strong in the air, can take the ball out. A big plus is that he was already active in Slavia. He perfectly knows the playing style, the demands of the coaches, the atmosphere in the club, the vast majority of players and the rules of the cabin. The native of Olomouc should fit right in, he should be an immediate reinforcement in the true sense, not just on paper.
Winter returns to Fortuna Arena ????
Check out David Zima’s first moments back in Eden. Where did his old Slavist bag get stuck? How is the coach looking forward to the cool defensive duo? And was David cold?
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— SK Slavia Prague (@slaviaofficial) February 1, 2024
In my opinion, all these are the reasons why Slavia was finally willing to invest like this. If it was another player, either from a smaller Czech club or from abroad, I reckon that they would have been more cautious and would not have paid such an amount. For example, midfielder Christos Zafeiris, who is more than two years younger, more offensive and possesses indisputable potential, cost around 35 million crowns less. And probably not every player who would cost a hundred million crowns would fit into the strictly set salary ceiling of the staples with their demands.
Zim’s lack of play can be a problem. He started for FC Turin in the autumn at least, he will have to quickly catch up to the pace of the match. It is up to him. Thanks to his price tag, he will have a target on his back, as coach Ivan Hašek aptly described his entry into the national team. He too will be interested in the performances of the twenty-three-year-old defender. Breaking into the European Championship nomination is one of Zim’s goals.
Slavia also buys it with the perspective that it can be sold again in the future. The money can be returned to her. It has the prerequisites for development. Sparta recently made a deal with Dávid Hanck, whom Letenští bought from Fiorentina for roughly 64 million crowns and then sold him to Feyenoord Rotterdam for a quarter of a billion crowns.
Their stories are similar in many respects, the Slovakian defender did not make much of an impact in Italy either, but became a star in the Czech Republic and an interesting article for a strong foreign club. It paid off for Sparta both athletically and financially.
A similar scenario, supplemented by trophies, would be ideal for both Slavia and Zima. Will it work out? The first answers will start coming soon. But the engagement of the lanky stopper is not a random shot, even if it seems a bit sloppy.
