Anzhi budget may harm Russian football: Wernbloom

Moscow - Anzhi Makhachkala‘s immense wealth will not do Russian football any good, CSKA Moscow’s Pontus Wernbloom said Thursday.

The 26-year-old Swedish midfielder stated that huge spending power of the Dagestan club bankrolled by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov won’t guarantee success, nor will it have a broader beneficial impact on Russian football.

“On the one side, it’s good when really skillful players come to the league. But it’s probably not great for your football when one team has such a bigger budget than the others,” Wernbloom was quoted as by the club’s website.

“Anyway, money doesn’t decide everything.”

Anzhi rocked the football world by persuading global stars Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o to come to Russia, and strengthened further over the summer with the signing of FC Kuban striker Lacina Traore.

CSKA and Anzhi clash Sunday, with the Moscow side trying to shake a two-defeat start to their Premier League campaign.

Wernbloom said that Anzhi still have to gel as a team unit, but that does not mean they are not a threat.

“Anzhi have bought many players of late, and becoming a team in the truest sense of the word still lies ahead of them. However, they are already very dangerous,” the Swedish international said.