Defender Gjoko Zajkov will spend the rest of the season in Belgium with top division side Charleroi. It will be a one year loan with the option to purchase him outright.
Gjoko Zajkov was transfer listed by Rennes this summer since he was not in the coach’s plans. Earlier in the month, he even partook in a 3-day trial with Hamilton in Scotland, but that move collapsed after Zajkov could not obtain a work permit. However, that proved to be a good thing as Gjoko secured a transfer to Charleroi.
The league in Belgium possesses more quality and offers better competition than the one in Scotland, so this is a step up for Zajkov. Charleroi was looking for a central defender, something that led them to Gjoko. He underwent a medical examination this morning, and shortly thereafter Charleroi confirmed the agreement on their official website.
Zajkov, 20, moved to Rennes last summer from Rabotnichki. However, it was a tough year in France. Zajkov mostly played for the reserves as he did not make a single league appearance for the first team. Instead, the only cap Gjoko got with the senior squad came in a league cup match.
@MacedonianFooty @sylvain_sro Only my opinion, but I am not quite sure the coach and the head of scouing actually agree on player profiles
— Bastien L. (@Puchkin_B) August 25, 2015
One Rennes supporter who we have befriended on Twitter told us that the coach and head scout often don’t agree on player profiles. Several Rennes signings over the past season have failed to pan out, so that lack of trust between the coach and scout could be one of the main causes. It’s tough for a player to succeed if the coach or head scout don’t want him to begin with.
Gjoko goes to Belgium on a season-long loan deal. At the conclusion of that, Charleroi will have the option to purchase him outright. Zajkov becomes the third Macedonian based in the top Belgian league after Jovan Kostovski and Besart Abdurahimi.