Erbol Atabaev is set for a major step into European football, with Transfermarkt listing the Kyrgyzstan international as joining Croatian top-flight club NK Lokomotiva Zagreb from Muras United.
The move would take Atabaev directly from the Kyrgyz Premier League to the SuperSport HNL. Croatia currently sits 21st in the live five-season UEFA association coefficient ranking, making this a significant jump in level and visibility for the 25-year-old attacking midfielder.
SkyrScout profiled Atabaev in July after a remarkable start to the 2026 season. At the time of our report, he had recorded 13 goals and 7 assists in his first 14 league matches and had established himself as the standout player in Kyrgyz football.
Our scouting report concluded that Atabaev was already playing well above the level of the Kyrgyz Premier League, while questioning whether European clubs would look beyond the limited visibility of the Central Asian market. Croatia now looks set to provide that opportunity.
A possible Prosinečki connection?
There is also an intriguing Croatian connection around the move.
Robert Prosinečki spent eight and a half months as head coach of the Kyrgyzstan national team before leaving the position by mutual agreement on August 25. The Croatian coach knew Atabaev from the national-team setup, and Eurasia Football has raised the possibility that Prosinečki may have helped point Croatian football towards the midfielder.
There is currently no confirmation that Prosinečki had any direct involvement in the transfer, so that connection remains speculation.
Regardless of how the move came together, Lokomotiva represents exactly the kind of step Atabaev needed: a place in a significantly stronger European league where his technique, creativity and end product can be tested at a new level.
For a player whose route back to Europe looked uncertain only weeks ago, this is a massive and fully deserved opportunity.
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