Kattakurgan head coach Ilyos Zeytullaev has spoken to Eurasia Football about Uzbekistan striker Eldor Shomurodov’s career and his departure from AS Roma.
Zeytullaev, who once worked under current Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, believes it would be wrong to describe Shomurodov’s spell in Italy as unsuccessful.
“Reaching Roma, playing for Roma — that is not something everyone can do. I think Eldor’s move to Turkey was, first and foremost, his own choice. Gasperini’s decision surprised me a little. And I think that now Gasperini may be kicking himself a bit when he sees how Shomurodov is playing and scoring in Turkey. Eldor is a player of European quality. He has already proved that,” Zeytullaev said.
Shomurodov joined Istanbul Basaksehir from Roma in the summer of 2025. The deal was initially structured as a loan with an option to buy. The Uzbek forward made 85 appearances for Roma and scored 13 goals.
This season, Shomurodov scored in each of the first four rounds of the Turkish league, finding the net against Kocaelispor, Trabzonspor, Kasimpasa and Galatasaray.
Zeytullaev knows Gasperini’s methods well. The Uzbek coach played under him in Juventus’ youth system and has previously noted that the Italian values hardworking and mobile players of Shomurodov’s type.