Georgiy Yermakov: "Had a very frank conversation with Bartulovich"

Ukrainian goalkeeper Georgiy Yermakov commented on his transfer to FC "Kharkiv" from Israeli "Maccabi" Haifa.

– Happy with the new stage?

– Of course, I am very happy to join. The negotiation process took quite a long time - over a month. There were certain delays and moments that needed to be agreed upon between the clubs, with me. And all this took a significant amount of time. But I'm already here, this story ended very well for all parties involved, I believe. So I am happy with how it turned out. There is a feeling of new emotions, because it's always like that when there's a new place, new people, a new challenge, and you have to be ready right away, get to work. My main focus now is on that.

– Who from the football club "Kharkiv" have you been in touch with all this time?

– I interacted with many people - with our captain Ivan, with Sanya Martinyuk, with Artem Shabanov, and other guys I crossed paths with in the national team. But this trio from "Oleksandriya", where we played together, was in contact with me the most.

– Have you talked to Mladen Bartulovich?

– Yes. There was a conversation about the overall vision and about football. It was a very candid conversation.

– What skill did you bring from the Israeli championship that was not in your skill set before?

– Communicating on the field in several languages at once, because the defensive line in front of me was very multilingual - there were French speakers, English speakers, and local guys. I had to get used to this a bit, but over time I managed - and I already felt comfortable.

– Did you miss Ukrainian football?

– I did, definitely. I followed the championship all year, watched the games I could. I watched the reviews, followed how everything was developing, the fight for European Cup spots and for the first place. Because there was quite an interesting and unexpected struggle - also in the Cup.

– When you left Ukraine, you were one of the best goalkeepers in Ukraine. Do you feel you have become even stronger?

– 100 percent. New experience, working with new coaches. I had a high-level goalkeeper coach - he also taught me a lot, showed me what could be. And this was also a significant experience for my development.

– In your opinion, what trait of your character has helped you the most in your career?

– Hard work and the ability to understand your strengths and weaknesses realistically, how to develop and where to move forward

– How many clean sheets do you aim for in the season?

– I want to beat my record - 15.