VFB Stuttgart have completed the signing of Russian forward Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak from Russsian powerhouse Zenit St.Petersberg. Although the exact fee is not known, the deal is rumoured to be around €10 million. Pogrebnyak signed a four year contract with the club and was unveiled after passing a medical on Sunday. He joins the club as a direct replacement for Mario Gomez who moved on to Bayern Munich earlier in the window. Stuttgart this week also captured Belarus midfielder Alexander Hleb on a year-long loan from Barcelona.
After many indifferent seasons in the Russian League, Pogrebnyak finally tasted success with Zenit. In the two seasons at the club, he scored an impressive 22 times in 59 appearances. He was close to a move to Premiership side Blackburn Rovers but the negotiations broke down. Zenit had also accepted a bid for him from Bolton, but the player chose to move to Germany.
Stuttgart’s sporting director, Horst Heldt, told the press, “Apart from Sunday’s medical, everything is clear. We have agreed with the club and the player.”A note on the Zenit website reads, “The transfer has been approved by the club’s head coach (Dick Advocaat).”
Stuttgart are also linked with a move for Serbian midfielder Milan Jovanovic.
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