Latest Transfer News: Branislav Ivanovic Signs with Zenit St Petersburg on Deadline Day

The Serbian defender waves goodbye to his nine-year spell at Stamford Bridge as he makes a return to the Russian Premier League with Zenit St Petersburg, latest transfer news report.

The 32-year-old reportedly signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Russian outfit on a free transfer, and expressed his desire to continue playing football at the highest level. During his nine years in London, Ivanovic made an impressive 377 appearances for the Blues across all competitions, while also managing to find the back of the net on 33 occasions, despite defending being his primary duty.

His long stay with the Blues has been very successful which has seen him collect a number of trophies, both domestically and in Europe; Ivanovic has won the Premier League on two occasions (2009/10 and 2014/15), the FA Cup three times (2008/09, 2009/10 and 2011/12) and has also won the biggest trophy of them all, the Champions League (2011/12). The Serbian’s trophy cabinet also includes the FA Community Shield (2009), the Football League Cup (2014/15) and the Europa League (2012/13).

Antonio Conte – Chelsea’s boss who took over the club last summer – has often preferred other players to Ivanovic in his position – despite him having a reputation for being versatile defender – which has seen the Serbian receive limited opportunities on the pitch. Therefore, the latest transfer news seems like a sensible move considering his age – he will turn 33 years of age on February 22, 2017.

“I am motivated and I think that I can play for many more seasons at the top level,” said Ivanovic, in his first interview with Zenit following his latest transfer news. “I can say that I am excited to be here and everything went smoothly.”

When asked what defending position he would prefer on the pitch under his new boss Mircea Lucescu, Ivanovic gave a humble response by stating that he’s willing to play in whatever position is needed by the manager.

“I am happy just to play. I am happy in the center or on the right. That’s probably a question for the manager but I am happy in any position.”

Ivanovic joined Stamford Bridge in a similar fashion that he left the club in; he was bought from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in during the January transfer window of the 2007/08 campaign – the same season that Chelsea went on to play and eventually lose the Champions League final to Premier League rivals Manchester United in Moscow’s iconic Luzhniki Stadium. But he wouldn’t feature for his new club until the start of the following season, as then manager Avram Grant concluded Ivanovic didn’t have sufficient match fitness for the rigours of the Premier League.

The Serbian star spent two years plying his trade in the Russian Premier League, making a total of 71 appearances for Lokomotiv, which saw him pick up a Russian Cup medal right before his departure to Chelsea. Taking into account his prior short spell in Russia, Ivanovic may find it much easier to acclimatize himself with the new surroundings at Zenit.

Despite not being a first-choice regular under Conte at Chelsea, the defender still made 13 appearances in the Premier League, which means that if the Blues are to win the title at the end of the season – and by all accounts they’re the absolute favourites to do so at this stage – Ivanovic would be entitled to receive a winner’s medal, regardless of the fact that he left the club midway through the season. (Normally, players are required to have played in at least 5 games throughout the Premier League season – this also includes substitute appearances – to qualify for a winner’s medal.)

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(Check out some of the other latest transfer news surrounding star players.)