Spartak Moscow Reportedly Want Lazar Markovic

Lazar Markovic was once counted amongst Europe’s brightest talents, a superstar in the making. Now, when he’s remembered at all, it’s mostly as a lesson that not even game’s most promising top talents are guaranteed to develop into stars. Setbacks happen, development can stall, injuries can derail.

Now 23, Markovic’s career is far from over, but he desperately needs to find himself a home at some club that will give him regular playing time. Somewhere comfortably mid-table in one of Europe’s top leagues, perhaps, or a full time home for one of the better sides in Turkey, the Netherlands, or Russia.

It’s that last one he’s being linked to as the January transfer window enters its final stretch, with The Liverpool Echo reporting that Spartak Moscow are considering a move for the winger. In England, West Bromwich Albion are also said to be interested. The question now is whether interest turns into more.

Over the summer, Markovic was linked with a series of moves. He was meant to join Marco Silva, who’d had him on loan at Hull City, at Watford. He was meant to make a full time return to Fenerbahce. He was going to return to Portugal, where he had his most successful spell as a player with Benfica.

Other destinations were mooted. Nothing in the end materialised, with many pointing to Liverpool’s £16M asking price as the cause—not a great deal of money in the current market for a player with the potential Markovic was once thought to have, but a lot for an out of favour spare part.

Hopefully, this time around, a deal can be agreed with Spartak. If it’s not, Markovic could face another six months on the sidelines at Anfield—and potentially another year after that, with his contract at the club set to run through the summer of 2019.