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Striker Jakub Świerczok is being targeted by Legia Warsaw to bolster their attacking options heading into the new season, as first reported by Sebastian Staszewski on Twitter.
The 29 year-old Polish striker is currently contracted to Nagoya Grampus in Japan, although he hasn’t played since last November after testing positive for a banned substance following a match in the AFC Champions League. Świerczok released a statement saying he had never taken illegal substances and expressed he would co-operate with the anti-doping authorities.
Despite supposed mutual interest, there are two fairly sizeable hurdles to overcome for Świerczok to become a Legia player. The first of these is that Świerczok would have to terminate his contract with Nagoya Grampus, which is valid until 2024. The second is that he left European football for the high wages he earns in Japan, which obviously would be less if he were to return to the Ekstraklasa, but he would still expect to be Legia’s highest earner by some distance. Legia have been facing some financial difficulties recently, but given they have already had a very active summer transfer window, they appear to be going all out to challenge for the league title once again.
Świerczok is an accomplished striker, having played in European competition with Ludogorets in Bulgaria as well as making the Polish squad for Euro 2020. His last Ekstraklasa campaign, on loan at Piast Gliwice for the 2020-21 season, saw him finish runner-up in the scoring charts with 15 goals.
If Świerczok did move to Legia, it would put him in a great position to make a late charge for the World Cup squad. Selekcjoner Czesław Michniewicz has already hinted that he may take a look at the best Ekstraklasa players to fill out his squad for the tournament, and given Michniewicz is a former Legia manager, it certainly wouldn’t harm Świerczok’s chances of being on the plane to Qatar if he were to join Legia.
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