Image via @RCLens on Twitter
It has been a season to remember for RC Lens, with the Ligue 1 runners-up earning Champions League qualification for the first time in their 117-year history.
With three Polish players on the books at Lens this season in Przemysław Frankowski, Łukasz Poręba and Adam Buksa, it’s time we looked back on how each of them got on, with it being Frankowski’s second campaign with the club and Poręba and Buksa’s first.
Before we get into that, it’s worth remembering why Lens tend to sign Polish players throughout the years, and it’s due to the coal-mining connection to the town of Lens itself. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, many Polish nationals emigrated to Lens and the surrounding area to work in the coal mines, and thus there is still a sizeable Polish community in the region of Pas-de-Calais in northern France.
Back to the football, and specifically Frankowski. He has had an incredibly good season in Ligue 1, earning accolades and plaudits throughout and plenty of glowing copy has bee written about him both in France and Poland (and on this website). Recently, Frankowski was even named in L’Equipe’s Ligue 1 team of the season, and speaking purely statistically Frankowski managed five goals and three assists in the league from right wing-back. I would not be at all surprised to see him adapt equally as well to playing in the Champions League as he has to playing in France, given the step-up in quality from his previous clubs in the MLS and the Ekstraklasa.
Poręba has been perfectly adequate after joining from Zagłębie Lubin on a free transfer last summer. Very much brought to Lens as a rotational squad option in an already strong midfield, Poręba has had to wait for his chances but has generally performed to a decent standard when called upon by manager Franck Haise. In his ten Ligue 1 appearances this season, Poręba notched one assist and was mostly coming off the bench in those games. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets more chances next season as the demands of playing twice a week require more rotation to the Lens team.
Adam Buksa came into Lens last summer from New England Revolution as something of a marquee signing, costing Lens around $10 million (supposedly a record fee for the club) and taking the number 9 shirt. Those of us interested in Polish football were all feeling like it was a great chance for Buksa to capitalise on the stellar performances he had in the MLS and that it could work out for him just as it had for Frankowski.
Unfortunately, almost as soon as Buksa arrived in France he suffered an ankle injury, Lens also brought in Lois Openda who has been a revelation in Ligue 1 this season, and Buksa never looked like getting a starting spot even when healthy. As it turns out, Buksa was very rarely injury-free this season, missing months at a time and only making eight appearances, all from the bench and not registering a single goal or assist.
With news of Openda reportedly being a key transfer target for English, German and Italian clubs this summer, it is possible Buksa gets opportunities for Lens next season. However, his profile is very different to that of the agile and quick-thinking Openda. Buksa is very much a traditional target man sort of striker, and whilst there is probably room for that at Lens given the games in which they struggled to get a positive result this season, the club will most likely be looking for someone similar in style to Openda if there is the need to replace him in terms of a starting striker.
There is plenty of talk of Buksa being moved on after this relatively disastrous first year in France; first of a move back to the MLS to regain some kind of confidence and familiarity and fresh reports of a move to Saudi Arabia as the Saudi Pro League look to make waves in the transfer market this summer.
In my opinion, I think Buksa is best served by staying where he is, assuming Lens are not looking to sell. As I alluded to earlier, squad depth will be required for Lens next season and even a role off the bench for a Champions League team in a top European league is an attractive proposition and one that Buksa is probably worthy of if he can regain confidence and stay injury-free.
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