The Russian volleyball market is already in full swing, and the first serious signs of changes in one of the leading clubs – Lokomotiv Novosibirsk – are already a fact. According to information from "BUSINESS Online" in the transfer table for the 2025/26 season, Bulgarian setter Simeon Nikolov is among the players expected to leave the team.
Nikolov is mentioned as a potential transfer to the Italian giant Civitanova, though for now, the information falls into the category of unconfirmed transfers. Along with him, the second setter in Plamen Konstantinov's squad – Ozhiganov – is also set to depart, which clearly suggests that the club is preparing a serious change for the most crucial position in the game.
The changes don't stop there. The "departures" section also includes both middle blockers – the team captain Iliad Kurkaev, who is linked with a return to Zenit Kazan, as well as Brazhnyuk, whose path leads to Dynamo-LO. Thus, Lokomotiv practically loses its entire axis along the setter-middle blocker line, which implies a deep reconstruction of the squad.
The club's reaction was swift. Two new names have been identified for the setter position: Argentinian star Luciano De Cecco, who comes from Polish Czestochowa, and Krechetov from Dynamo-LO. In the middle, Chereysky from Zenit Saint Petersburg is expected to be signed, and additionally, Alexander Kostadinov returns to the reception position from Gazprom-Yugra after his loan expires.
All this outlines a serious restructuring in Plamen Konstantinov's team, where not just individual positions are changed, but the entire core of the squad.
Against this backdrop, attention today remains focused on the present. The third match of the bronze medal series is upcoming, and the main intrigue is precisely related to Simeon Nikolov – whether the Bulgarian setter will appear in the game after the injury he sustained in the second match of the series.