Images via @HellasVeronaFC, @KVCWesterlo & @SwansOfficial on Twitter except for bottom right which is via Mikolaj Barbanell/Shutterstock
Whenever it comes to the last day of any transfer window, there is bound to be intriguing rumours swirling, but very rarely these days does it seem that huge deals take place upon said final day of the window.
This being said, yesterday’s deadline day was particularly engrossing for those of us who follow Polish football, as a number of rumoured moves came to fruition, but perhaps not in the nature we expected or to whom we expected. I’ll be detailing four transfers that were completed yesterday in this article, starting with the highest profile move.
Karol Świderski has been rumoured to be moving on from Charlotte in the MLS for a good six months, if not longer, even going so far as to openly say on several occasions he wanted a return to Europe. Yesterday he got his wish, as Serie A strugglers Hellas Verona announced his signing on a loan with the option to buy. Reportedly the loan fee for Świderski was particularly exorbitant according to his agent Mariusz Piekarski, given that financial terms for the deal were set by the MLS rather than Charlotte.
Given there are very few options for strikers at Hellas, with them having just sold Cyril Ngonge to Napoli, you imagine Świderski will be the first-choice striker for an admittedly struggling team. This being said, a move back to one of Europe’s top 5 leagues has long been a priority for Świderski so you imagine he will take this chance he has been given, and it’ll be nice to see both him and Paweł Dawidowicz taking the field for Hellas.
Karol Borys has been a hot topic of discussion for the entirety of the January transfer window. It seemed for all the world nailed-on that the 17 year-old would be moving from Śląsk Wrocław to Fiorentina, but according to reports he and his family decided against the move at this point in time. To be honest, I’m quite pleased about that, as Polish players don’t have a great track record of getting their fair share of playing time at Fiorentina and Borys would likely have been playing in the Primavera anyway.
Then, it was confirmed by Śląsk’s hierarchy that they were in talks with Hull City about a potential transfer for Borys. Who decided to pull out, be it club or player is unknown, but Borys has in the end signed for Belgian side KVC Westerlo. On paper this looks a bit mental to the point of nonsensical, but I can completely see why Borys has made the move to the Pro League. The standard of football is decent, and most importantly you imagine he has been given a series of assurances over his playing time at Westerlo, which will only go on to aid his development and secure a bigger move in the near future.
You imagine this is exactly what Westerlo want as they’ve only tied him down to a 2 and a half year contract, and presumably they are looking at a scenario in which he plays very well for them, kicks on further in terms of his talent and they can profit in another 12-18 months.
Kamil Jóźwiak has had a slight return to form of sorts in the last 12 months, but I have to admit I was taken aback by the news yesterday that he had indeed signed for relegation-threatened Granada in La Liga, even if the rumours had been there for about 24 hours beforehand. When it was announced that Jóźwiak was to leave Charlotte, I didn’t really envisage a scenario where he was playing first-class top flight football, more likely in my mind was a return to the Ekstraklasa or one of several alleged candidates for his signature in Serie B. Therefore I’m really pleased that he’s signed this 18-month deal with Granada, who admittedly may not be a top flight club in another six months. I don’t think he’ll start many games and will probably leave on a free transfer in another 18 months, but who knows? Jóźwiak has shown quality in the past and perhaps Spanish football will suit him better than England or America has. He’ll also be at Granada with Kamil Piątkowski (for the next six months at least), and the social media team at the club put out a mildly awkward clip of the two of them speaking to each other, in English for some reason and with Spanish subtitles. Regardless of the nuances of the content creators, I think Jóźwiak has found himself in a very good place to give him an optimal chance at rediscovering his best form.
Finally we come to one of my favourite players, Przemysław Płacheta, who Norwich were very open to selling during the winter window. There was rumoured interest from a number of fellow Championship sides, and it has turned out to be Swansea whom have signed him, albeit on just a six-month contract. Swansea’s manager Luke Williams spoke about wanting to bring more pace to his side and Płacheta will do that at the very least. Indeed this is a move that works out well for all parties, as Norwich don’t lose him for free, Swansea get some immediate impact for the rest of the season and Płacheta has the option, which has long been rumoured, to return to the Ekstraklasa in the summer.
I had an inkling earlier this week watching Płacheta warm the bench at Anfield in Norwich’s FA Cup defeat that he wouldn’t be there for much longer, given he spent the entire second half warming up in front of us, just for David Wagner to substitute on players who hadn’t even run down the touchline once. It’s all the more bizarre when you consider that before a disastrous 45 minutes playing out of position against Cardiff in November, Płacheta was really looking like he belonged either in the starting eleven or on the fringes of it at Norwich. Still, it represents smart business for all involved and given the fanfare (albeit very mild) accompanying his arrival at Swansea, he’ll probably get a good chunk of game time to boot.
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