Journalist: It's time for Yaremchuk to come home. The option with Kharkiv is good for the player and the club

Sport.ua journalist Oleksiy Slyvchenko reflects on the potential transfer of Roman Yaremchuk to "Kharkiv".

At the beginning of February, the forward of the Ukrainian national team Roman Yaremchuk moved on loan from Greek "Olympiacos" to French "Lyon". For this transfer, "The Weavers" paid 1.5 million euros, and another 5 million were agreed with the Greeks as the amount for a full buyout. For the Greeks, these conditions seemed fantastic, as in his second season at "Olympiacos" Yaremchuk ceased to be an important figure for the first team, and the opportunity to make money on him seemed extremely successful for the top club in Greece.

In France, Yaremchuk under the guidance of Paulo Fonseca was able to revive and rejuvenate his own career. In 11 matches of Ligue 1, the Ukrainian forward scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist. Few doubted that "Lyon" would try to buy out Roman's contract, but... In the end, everything came down to the position of the bosses of "Olympiacos". The Greeks apparently thought they had caught a big fish and insisted on "Lyon" paying 5 million euros for the full transfer of Yaremchuk, while the French asked for a discount.

At some point, other clubs from weaker championships - Turkey, Poland - also began to show interest in Yaremchuk. There was hope that "Olympiacos" would decide to keep Roman and give him another chance, but in the end, the experienced Spanish specialist Jose Luis Mendilibar decided otherwise. As a result, as the summer transfer window closed in most European championships, Yaremchuk found himself in a not-so-great position - he remained a player of "Olympiacos", where he was absolutely not counted on, and also did not have obvious options to continue his career.

But then something unexpected happened - Yaremchuk changed his agency campaign, and on the horizon, there appeared a return to the Ukrainian Premier League. The services of the 30-year-old striker were offered to "Kharkiv", which perceived this opportunity with enthusiasm and actively began to explore the ground. It is reported that the Kharkiv club is ready to meet Roman's financial demands, and now the question of returning to the UPL depends entirely on the position of the striker himself.

However, it is currently absolutely unclear on what terms "Olympiacos" will potentially release Yaremchuk to "Kharkiv". Will the Ukrainian club pay the Greeks 5 million euros, which "Lyon" failed to strengthen? Or will the Greeks, against the backdrop of the closing of the transfer window, be more cooperative and release their striker to Ukraine with a significant discount? The answers to these questions we will only find out in the near future if the deal does take place.

But already now it can be said that the potential transfer of Yaremchuk to "Kharkiv" will benefit all three sides of the deal. The benefit to "Olympiacos", where the Ukrainian center forward is absolutely not counted on, can be reiterated. Moreover, Roman cost the Greeks only 2 million euros, and they have already recouped 1.5 million from the loan to "Lyon". Therefore, it is quite realistic for "Olympiacos" to compensate for all expenses on the Ukrainian and even make some money on him. Plus, in the fall, Roman will celebrate his 31st birthday, and this is definitely not a factor that will contribute to an increase in the price of the Ukrainian.

Currently, Yaremchuk finds himself in a dead end in his career. His contract with "Olympiacos" is valid for two more seasons, but at least in the next year, as long as the team is coached by Mendilibar, Roman has absolutely no prospects of playing in the first team. Sitting and just receiving a salary is, of course, an option, but it seems not suitable for a player of the national team level, who once went to "Dynamo" not for money, but for the opportunity to play football.

To say that a transfer to a hypothetical "Trabzonspor" or Poland would be better for Yaremchuk than "Kharkiv" is also unlikely. Firstly, the Turkish option is always a story of instability. Tomorrow or the day after, the coach and the president there may change, and the story for Yaremchuk will very quickly turn into something similar to what is happening now at "Olympiacos". Moreover, besides a few rumors, nothing serious has come from "Trabzonspor" regarding Roman. As for the option with the Polish "Wisla", Yaremchuk himself burned all bridges for this deal with his statements and comments. So there is simply no reason to return there.

In "Kharkiv", Yaremchuk will definitely have the opportunity to play in the first team. His presence in the squad will give the coaching staff more options for using foreign players in other positions, as the limit in the UPL continues to apply, and having a good Ukrainian center forward is something that only a few teams in the league can boast of. In terms of finances, if we believe the insiders, Roman will not be treated unfairly in the Kharkiv club. So everything fits perfectly: status, respect, trust, money. Everything is there, why not return? And changing the agency to one that mostly operates in the UPL is already a kind of marker of the decision Yaremchuk is willing to make.

For "Kharkiv", signing Roman Yaremchuk is also seen as a good decision at the current stage, as long as they don't have to pay too much for this transfer - those infamous 5 million euros that "Lyon" failed to pay earlier.

The fact is that Mladen Bartulovich's team sorely lacks a productive center forward. In the summer, the club tried to solve the problem by bringing in former "Kryvbas" striker Carlos Paraco, but the 22-year-old Venezuelan is still in the process of adapting to the new requirements and is not shining, and Bartulovich needs results from him already.

The 26-year-old Nigerian Christian Mba was no more than a rotation player for "Kharkiv" last season. And his 23-year-old compatriot Peter Itodo, despite scoring 10 goals in 25 matches in the UPL-2025/26, overall stands out for his incredible wastefulness of moments. In the last edition of the national championship, Itodo's goal conversion rate was 10%... This is a great illustration of how many chances the Nigerian has blatantly wasted, and in the new season, the situation is not improving much - just remember the episode where Itodo's misunderstanding of the game moment practically deprived "Kharkiv" of the opportunity to score against "Shakhtar".

In the current situation, "Kharkiv" could really use an experienced striker who is capable of demonstrating good productivity, positional play of a center forward, and the ability to be useful in team formations. Yaremchuk may no longer be seen as the ideal option, but he is certainly a good one.

Moreover, Yaremchuk does have a good understanding and knowledge of the domestic Premier League. And also - he has experience of playing not for grand clubs like "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar", but for an ambitious underdog, which "Oleksandriya" once was, and now "Kharkiv" is taking on this role.

For Yaremchuk himself, returning to his homeland, still affected by the war, may not seem like the pinnacle of dreams in a purely domestic sense. But on the other hand, moving to "Kharkiv" will allow Roman to live in the capital (let's remind that Kharkiv residents are currently quartered near Kyiv - based in Shchaslyve, and play home matches at the "Left Bank Arena"), having some of the best conditions in the country at hand. From a professional point of view, returning to the UPL is a great opportunity to be in the eyes of the national team coaching staff. Andrea Maldera has already indicated that he is ready to invite players not only from "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar", but also from the same "Kharkiv", where the right full-back Ilya Krupsky is preparing to receive a chance to prove himself in the ranks of the "blue-yellow".

It remains only to wait and see if the rumors come true, and whether Yaremchuk will become the new center forward of "Kharkiv". The transfer window in the UPL, let's remind, closes on September 4.