Serbian football agent and former player Ivan Josovic believes Uzbekistan midfielder Otabek Shukurov has secured strong financial terms at Radnik Surdulica despite moving from wealthier leagues in Turkey and the Gulf.
The 30-year-old joined Radnik as a free agent after spells in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Baniyas being his most recent club.
“I don’t know Shukurov’s exact salary, but I’m 100 percent sure that he has good terms,” Josovic told Eurasia Football. “Everyone knows where he played before and the financial level of those leagues. I’m sure he is earning good money in Serbia as well.”
According to Josovic, Shukurov’s decision to join Radnik surprised many people in Serbia.
“A lot of people messaged me and asked about him. For some, it was surprising that a player of his level came to Serbia. Everyone knows he played in Turkey and in the Gulf, where players can earn good money.”
Josovic knows Uzbek football well himself. During his playing career, he spent three seasons with Kokand-1912, and he used his former club as a reference point when describing Radnik’s place in Serbian football.
“For Radnik, this is a really big transfer. It is a small club from a small town with a population of around 10,000. If I had to compare it with Uzbekistan, Radnik in Serbia is roughly comparable to Kokand-1912. I played for Kokand myself for three years and know the club very well, so I don’t mean that in any disrespectful way. I’m simply talking about their position in the football hierarchy. There are eight to ten clubs in Serbia that are stronger than Radnik.”
Josovic added that Radnik are traditionally a lower-half Serbian SuperLiga side rather than one of the country’s leading clubs.
“I know the club and I know the coach. Historically, Radnik are not one of the strongest teams in Serbia. They often have to fight to stay in the SuperLiga.”
At the same time, he stressed that Radnik have built a model around giving players opportunities and then selling them on.
“Radnik are not a club that spends big money on transfer fees. They try to bring in players, including younger ones, give them playing time and a chance to prove themselves, and then sell them.”
One recent example is Ghanaian attacker Douglas Owusu, who moved from Radnik to Red Star Belgrade in January 2026 in a deal worth around €2.2 million.
Josovic also pointed to broader changes in Serbian football. The number of teams in the SuperLiga is being reduced, which he believes will raise the overall level of the competition.
“The federation is reducing the size of the league. There used to be 16 teams, now there are fewer, and eventually there will be 12. That means a greater concentration of stronger clubs and quality players. At the same time, there is more money in Serbian football.”
The Serbian agent also noted that player movement between the Balkans and Central Asia remains largely one-way.
“I’m very happy to see an Uzbek player, and generally a player from Central Asia, in Serbia. You know how many players from the Balkans and Serbia play in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. But there have been very few Uzbek players in Serbia. Husniddin Gafurov played here before, and now Otabek Shukurov has arrived.
“I hope that in the future more good players from Uzbekistan and Central Asia will come to Europe and Serbia. God willing, I will also do my best to help good players from this region sign contracts in Serbia in the future.”