Image via @MijnVitesse on Twitter
Encouraging news yet again from Holland concerning Kacper Kozłowski. The 19 year-old Polish midfielder is currently playing at Vitesse, on loan from Brighton, where he has managed to record two goals and one assist in nine matches for the Dutch side.
Vitesse manager and Dutch footballing great Philip Cocu was speaking to national newspaper De Telegraaf, where he expressed his admiration for Kozłowski, stating he was “not surprised” that the young midfielder has made Czesław Michniewicz’s shortlist for the Poland squad that will play at the World Cup in Qatar.
Cocu went further, stating Kozłowski “has something special about him. He has been playing great recently, he can hold the ball deep in midfield, all whilst able to create dangerously offensively.”
It’s high praise, considering Kozłowski (somewhat strangely, in my opinion) couldn’t break into the full Polish side for the last round of internationals, instead being part of Michał Probierz’s U-21 set-up.
In my opinion, Kozłowski has to go to the World Cup. Considering that he broke the record last summer for the youngest ever player to play at the Euros, he is now 18 months further along in his footballing development, and whilst there seemed to be a period of adjustment for the five or so months he was on loan in Belgium at Brighton affiliate Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, he is now looking again very much like the player who was tearing apart defences in the Ekstraklasa at Pogoń Szczecin. Poland need midfielders of quality, and as far as I’m concerned Kozłowski is too good to leave out.
Considering the article I wrote yesterday about another Brighton loanee, Michał Karbownik, the Seagulls have their two loaned-out Polish players looking very good indeed. In the summer we knew that Karbownik probably wouldn’t play for Brighton again, but given his performances at Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga, Brighton will probably get their money back on him. Kozłowski is someone for whom they have higher hopes, and if his current form continues he will return to Brighton as a real option for new manager Roberto De Zerbi. The third Polish player on the books on the South Coast is Jakub Moder, and according to reports in The Athletic over the weekend, he will be back around March after complications with the ACL injury he suffered in April.
I’ve written plenty about the Polish contingent at Brighton, in an article about all three before the season began as well as individual articles on Kozłowski and Karbownik.
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