In 1996, Cheryshev scored a career-best 17 goals with Dynamo, who eventually finished fourth. Subsequently, he moved to Spain and signed for Sporting de Gijón, where he would share teams with several compatriots; he made his debut in La Liga on 17 November 1996, playing 30 minutes in a 2–4 home loss against Athletic Bilbao– the Asturians would be relegated at the end of the 1997–98 season.