FK Khimki's survival looks bleak as finances dwindle

Last season marked over a decade-long wait for Khimki to finally arrive in Russia's top-flight football. The last time they were in Russia's first division was way back in the 2008-09 season.

Despite exceeding expectations last term, things have gone south this time as the challenges in the first-division continue to get tougher.

Khimki's stunning comeback season

Last year was nothing short of a miracle for Khimki. With a club budget not even one-tenth of that of Zenit, they managed to finish eighth in the table.

More than that, they managed to win more games than they lost and ended up scoring over 30 goals that season. Igor Cherevchenko made a major mark in his first season as head coach of Khimki.

Expense overload as ambition takes over

A top-table finish created the expectation that Khimki would be capable enough to compete in the division.

The club went overboard in the summer transfer market, roping in major signings. Fenerbache forward Kemal Ademi came in along with Rostov striker Aleksander Dolgov to boost Khimki's attacking line.

Left-back Bryan Idowu was also roped in to give width on the pitch. Ten first-team players were added to the existing squad, leaving the club with a budget deficit of six million dollars.

Despite no European commitments, Khimki made significant progress in the transfer market. It has now pushed the club to a situation of financial instability.

The reality of the Russian Premier League

Despite exceeding expectations in their first season, reality soon hit them as the club lost all their opening three games this term.

They opened their account with a draw against Rubin Kazan. However, the club failed to build any sort of momentum. They again faltered as they failed to beat newly-promoted Nizhny Novgorod.

The emergence of FC Ural and Krylya Sovetov as decent clubs in the division capable of surviving relegation has made it more difficult for Khimki. This has significantly raised the standard of the league as well.

At the half-way stage, the club sits bottom of the division with just two wins from their opening eighteen games.

Survival looks bleak

With twelve games to go, Khimki's survival prospects look bleak. They are five points off safety and two off relegation play-offs. Apart from FC Ufa and Nizhny Novogord, getting past the rest seems an improbable prospect. Rostov still has time to recover; so does Arsenal Tula.

Finishing in the relegation play-off will be the best they can achieve from this point onwards.