Lazarov and Dusebajev stay in Madrid

Several top European clubs fought hard for their signatures, but now Atletico Madrid announced that their top shooter and coach will both stay at the three times winner of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Right back Kiril Lazarov extended his contract until 2014, while coach Talant Dusebajev
has also confirmed he is going nowhere.

Macedonian star Lazarov, who was top scorer in the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia, came from Zagreb to Ciudad Real in 2010, which has now been renamed Atletico Madrid and were finalists of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Before his transfer to Croatia, Lazarov played for MKB Veszprem – and was twice top scorer of the VELUX EHF Champions League. After a superb performance at the EHF EURO, several top European clubs tried to sign the left-handed right-back, whose contract is running out at the end of this season.

"This is an important day for our club, because it underlines the continuity of project Atletico Madrid," manager Luis Miguel Lopez is quoted as saying on the club's website, which had earlier announced that coach Talant Dusebajev will stay in Madrid despite several offers from the likes of HSV Hamburg in Germany.

Lopez said: "This shows that we do not have a one-day project, but a long future ahead."

Lazarov was glad to finalise the negotiations, adding: "The team and Talant are a great big family for me, commanded by the best coach you can have for winning big titles."

New Lazarov team-mate on the right-back position will be Xavier Barrachet from French runners-up Chambery Savoie. But Madrid are now searching for a new goalkeeper, with Arpad Sterbik out for several weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery.