Pletikosa Goes To Spartak For 3 Million Dollars

Croatian national team's goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa signed a deal with Spartak Moscow on the last day of the transfer period.

Spartak paid 3 million dollars to Shakhtar Donetsk for our goalkeeper, who had not been successful in finding common ground with the Ukrainian club's coach Mircea Lucescu and getting a place in the top eleven. The Shakhtar boss, Ukrainian tycoon Rinat Ahmetov eventually gave way and Spartak paid him the sum he had asked for, reports Jutarnji list.

Pletikosa is currently with Shakhtar in Spain, where they will play the UEFA Cup eighth-finals match against Sevilla. After the game, Pletikosa will immediately return to Donetsk with club president Ahmetov in order to get all the papers ready.

The new contract with Spartak will bind Pletikosa to the Moscow club until December 31, 2009. Predrag and Marko Naletilic put the two sides in touch ten minutes before the end of the transfer period and the deal was confirmed on both ends through fax machines.

Pletikosa said that he was pleased because he was joining a club that had ambitions similar to Shakhtar's. As he said, he also got better conditions, but the most important thing is that he will have continuity on the field, which will greatly contribute to the national team. Nonetheless, the fact that he has still not fulfilled his wish to transfer to one of the top five European leagues bothers him a little.