Interview with Neftçi Chief Executive Officer Cenk Sümer

– Mister Cenk, the new season is already underway. How would you assess the club’s transfer policy and the team’s preparations during the off-season?

– First, I have to say that the outcome of our UEFA Conference League ties against Dinamo Minsk was a disappointment for all of us. Of course, we wanted to progress in Europe, but we fell victim to small details and, to some extent, bad luck. In the first leg, we conceded unexpected goals from simple mistakes. In the second match, we were ready to regroup and overturn the deficit, but the opposition defended with discipline, we were unable to break them , and we failed to capitalize on the chances we created, which brought our European campaign to an end. We apologize to our supporters for that.

Our focus is now fully on the Azerbaijan Premier League and the Azerbaijan Cup. We will fight with determination for ambitious targets in both competitions.

As for our transfer policy, I must emphasize that over the past few months we have restructured both the football department and our scouting network. This restructuring has involved a major amount of work — from identifying and selecting players who fit our playing model, to closely monitoring the players we want to bring into the squad and presenting them to the head coach. We have expanded the number of player-monitoring platforms we use and broadened our scouting network. We are doing everything we can to minimize mistakes.

After the end of last season, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the team and squad. It was an in-depth assessment covering not just the previous one or two months, but the entire season and even the period before that. Together with our head coach, we identified our transfer needs and the positions that required strengthening. We determined the profiles of players who fit both our playing model and the head coach’s requirements. I believe we are currently going through a successful transfer window.

– New arrivals need time to settle in, as our head coach Yuri Vernidub also mentioned in his interview. How did these transfers come about?

– Every transfer has its own story. Every player is an individual, with a different career path and a different approach to life. Sometimes negotiations take a long time, sometimes they move quickly. But behind every transfer, the first and most important factor is that the club itself believes in the project it is building and can convince the player it wants to sign to believe in it as well.

Taking the players individually, Gustavo Klismahn is a high-level footballer who arrives from the Portuguese Primeira Liga and possesses a different set of qualities. In recent years, the number of players moving from Portugal to Azerbaijan has increased, but signing a player directly from the Primeira Liga is not something that happens every time. I believe that is an achievement for us.

Andrew Gravillon is, without exaggeration, a European-level player. He had offers from ambitious leagues across the continent, but we were able to convince him to buy into our project.

Ľubomír Tupta is a Slovakia international. There are very few players of this level in the Azerbaijan Premier League. He is currently going through the adaptation process, and I believe he will make a significant contribution to the team very soon.

Rufat Abbasov is a product of our own academy. He will be a source of pride for us and has the potential to represent our country in Europe with distinction. His transfer is an investment not only in our present, but also in our future. By the way, another academy graduate of ours, Murad Mammadov, who joined Cypriot club Pafos this summer, also made an impact in European competition recently. Although his team failed to progress, it is a source of pride for us to see our young player gradually becoming one of their key players, while it also reflects the high level of work being done at the Neftçi academy.

As for our latest signing, Alen Skribek, I think our supporters have watched him and seen what qualities he possesses. It is not easy to sign one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing players in the Hungarian league. We had been monitoring him since March and had been in contact with both the players and his club for quite some time. In the end, we managed to complete the transfer.

– The club is sometimes criticized for the lack or delay of transfers. How do you respond to that?

– I understand the supporters. They want the best for their team. But we want the same and we are doing everything we can to strengthen the squad. In any case, I believe we have a productive transfer window. Behind the signing of every player we have mentioned lies months of intensive work by our scouting team, football department and coaching staff.

It is possible that, together with the new arrivals, we did not achieve the results we wanted in Europe this summer. However, our day-to-day training sessions and the analysis we conduct show us that the team is developing, and I believe the positive results of that work will become evident soon.

Let us not forget that at the beginning of last season, we changed almost 80 per cent of the squad. After such significant changes, it was inevitable that the players would need time to adapt to the country, the team and one another — and they did. This year, we are continuing with most of the squad, while our new signings are targeted additions designed to increase competition and quality. That is the path we have chosen.

– Should we expect more new arrivals from now on?

– Of course. At Neftçi, the transfer process never stops. It is a continuous and ongoing process. In general, building an optimal squad and establishing a system can take not one, but two, three or sometimes even four transfer windows. Let us not forget that the transfer window opens three times a year, and we work continuously throughout all 12 months. Patience is extremely important in this process because signing a footballer is a complex procedure involving many different aspects, both big and small.

I would say that, in a short period of time, we have effectively made seven signings rather than five. I would also include Freddy Vargas and Breno Almeida in that number because both players are integral parts of the squad model and playing system we are trying to build. We all saw how much Freddy and Breno contributed to the team after the winter break.

After a one-year loan spell, we made Vargas’ move permanent. Despite having other offers, Freddy insisted on staying at Neftçi. That shows how comfortable he feels both at our club and in Azerbaijan, as well as how strong the bond he has developed with the Neftçi supporters has become.

Almeida, meanwhile, was a specifically scouted and targeted signing, made with the future in mind. Both players have the potential to help us achieve major objectives soon.

I would also like to add something regarding transfers. We have changed our transfer shortlist several times. Players who were previously priorities have been removed from the list for various reasons. But under no circumstances do we allow ourselves to think, “If we cannot sign anyone, let’s just take this player because we are running out of time,” or “There is nobody else for this position, so let’s sign someone anyway.”

We may lose a few days, but a wrong transfer can cost us two or three years in terms of both money and time.

– Imad Faraj has joined Tunisian club Espérance. How do you assess this transfer?

– The Imad Faraj case is a clear example of our transfer model. Last summer, we identified a player who ranked among the best in his position across all key statistical categories in a strong league and brought him into our squad for a certain transfer fee. This summer, we managed to sell him to a club in another strong league for a fee higher than what we had paid.

Faraj made a significant contribution to the team on the pitch, while also generating financial value for the club through this transfer. This is a record transfer in Neftçi’s history. I would also like to thank Imad for giving his all in the black-and-white shirt until the very end and wish him every success at his new club.

I should also mention that, alongside Faraj, several other players of ours — both domestic and foreign — attracted serious interest from overseas clubs, both in the winter and summer. That is further evidence of the quality of the players we have selected.

We pay particular attention to financial discipline in our transfer policy and try to operate strictly within our established budget. Optimizing our finances is an essential requirement.

Unverified reports have circulated in various sources claiming that we paid substantial sums for Vargas and Skribek. I would like to make it clear that those figures do not reflect reality. Both players were signed on very favorable terms for the club.

More broadly, we are taking concrete steps to become a club that makes smart investments, benefits from its players on the pitch and is also capable of generating revenue from them. In modern football, this is precisely the most optimal strategy for a club’s development.

– What are the main objectives for the club and the team in the new season?

– As a team, we have one objective: to win every competition in which we participate. The club’s 90th anniversary is approaching, and we must try to crown this landmark occasion with trophies and titles.

We have a very experienced head coach who has won championships in different countries. We have complete confidence in his football vision and playing philosophy. We have already developed our own identity on the pitch: we are a team that knows what it wants to play, how it wants to play and acts accordingly.

I believe we currently have a solid squad, but strengthening it is essential. We are expecting new additions in the attacking department. At the moment, negotiations are ongoing with at least two attacking players. Our aim is both to increase competition within the squad and to expand our tactical options.

The main objective is to compete for high-level results and raise the quality and performance level of the team. This is not a one-year or one-season project; it is a long-term one. We are laying the foundations for major success in the future.

There may be difficulties along the way, and sometimes disappointment, but I am confident that through our collective efforts we will return Neftçi to where it belongs — the top.

We experienced a degree of bad luck in European competition this summer. But let us not forget that football is a game and it has two sides. The key is not to make no mistakes at all, but to learn the right lessons from those mistakes in time.

With our experienced coaching staff and quality players, I believe we will achieve our objectives. In our 90th anniversary year, we will give everything we have and fight for victory in every match.

As a club, our objective is to build a modern, European-level Neftçi based on a contemporary management model. In this regard, we are working to implement a strategy aligned with the vision set out by the club’s Supervisory Board and to achieve the objectives before us.

We always feel the support of the Supervisory Board in the club’s day-to-day operations. From increasing stadium attendance and shirt sales to communications and infrastructure, we must be the leading club in Azerbaijan in every area.

We have made significant progress in this direction over the past two years, but we cannot afford to become complacent. Our training base has no equal in the country, renovation work is ongoing at our stadium, and the pitch is in excellent condition. We have even received, and continue to receive, requests from other Azerbaijani clubs competing in Europe to use our stadium.

We are always open to such proposals because we are the People’s Team, and it is our duty to carry that name with pride.

– Do you have a message for the supporters?

– Without a doubt, we need the support of our fans more than ever on the road to success. Disappointing them is our greatest source of frustration. Making them happy, on the other hand, makes us proud and gives us additional strength.

The passion and support of our fans have always driven Neftçi forward. We call on the Neftçi supporters — whose loyalty, devotion to their colors and football culture set an example to everyone — to fill the stands again this season.

Support the team, make your presence and pressure felt, and use that pressure to drive our Neftçi towards even greater success! We are not afraid of that pressure. On the contrary, it gives us an even greater sense of responsibility and motivates us to move forward with determination towards our goals.

I would also like to congratulate the entire football community of our country on the start of the new season. As the flagship of Azerbaijani football, Neftçi has always stood for the principle of fair play throughout its proud history, and that will remain the case.

Expectations for the new season are high. We have an exciting and fiercely contested championship ahead of us. I wish the AFFA, which continues to work tirelessly for the development of Azerbaijani football, and the PFL, which is doing an excellent job organizing the championship, every success for the new season.

I believe we are in for a season that will bring plenty of joy to the supporters.