Polish Transfer Window. No Big Deal.

September 3rd, 2008 | by: tomasz |

This tranfer window was another proof that Polish players are not the most sought for article on the football market. None of Polish players joined a top European club, none of Polish players took part in a big money transaction. Our biggest transfer hit was Ebi Smolarek’s loan move from Racing Santander to Bolton. Have a look at some other transactions including Poles.

Polish transfer hits:

Ebi Smolarek (from Racing Santander to Bolton Wanderers, loan): I already penned a note about this transfer. Smolarek moved in order to find more playing time. Not something that we expected a year ago when Ebi was transferred to Santanter. The predominant view was that he will become a star at Racing and move to an even bigger club. The reality proved harsh for our top striker. One of the best Polsih players wasn’t good enough for Primera Division. A move to England may be his last chance to prove himself outside Germany. Bolton must really count on Ebi as they gave him nr 10 shirt.

Dariusz Dudka (from Wisla Krakow to AJ Auxerre): the only Polish player that managed to earn a move abroad after Euros. His versatility should enable him to play quite regularly in France. He began the season as a starting player but was dropped last weekend due to poor performances. Still, I believe he’s good enough for Auxerre, but don’t expect a move to Lyon or Marseille in the future.

Marek Saganowski (from Southampton to Aalborg, loan) and Grzegorz Rasiak (from Southampton to Watford, loan): suddenly Southampton stopped being a ‘Polish’ club. Supposedly both players were loaned out because of Saints’ financial problems. Saganowski now has a chance to play in the Champions League, though he’s yet to score for the Danish champions and was relegated to the bench for the last game. Rasiak is currently injured, but expect regular scoring for Watford after he regains his fitness. Championship is a league designed especially for him.

Adam Kokoszka (from Wisla Krakow to Empoli F.C.?): just after Ebi, it was the biggest Polsih transfer saga of the summer. And the dumbest one at the same time. Kokoszka claims that he can leave Wisla under Webster ruling, whereas Wisla claims that a raise that he was given in winter means a new contract was signed. What’s best, Empoli hasn’t still paid a transfer fee, even the one that Wisla should receive under Webster ruling. But they signed a contact with Kokoszka at the same time. As a result, Kokos is illegible to play and lost his place in the national team. A very smart move by the young defender.

Other interesting transactions:

Wojciech Kowalewski (from Korona Kielce to Iraklis)
Przemyslaw Kazmierczak (from FC Porto to Derby County, loan)
Arkadiusz Radomski (from Austria Vienna to NEC Nijmegen, free transfer)
Robert Lewandowski (from Znicz Pruszkow to Lech Poznan)
Maciej Iwanski (from Zaglebie Lubin to Legia Warsaw)
Lukasz Madej (from LKS Lodz to Academica Coimbra)
Kamil Kosowski (from Cadiz to APOEL Nicosia)
Adrian Sikora (from Groclin Grodzisk to Real Murcia)

Ones that didn’t happen:

Artur Boruc (from Celtic to AC Milan or any good premiership club)
Mariusz Lewandowski (from Shakhtar Donetsk to Everton, Sunderland or Celtic)
Pawel Golanski (from Steaua to FC Porto)
Radoslaw Majewski (from Polonia Warsaw to West Brom)
Szymon Pawlowski (from Zaglebie Lubin to Legia Warsaw or Celtic)
Tomasz Jodlowiec (from Polonia Warsaw to Napoli), that’s especially a shame because the offer was really serious
Lukasz Gargula (from GKS Belchatow to Wisla Krakow or any club better than Belchatow)
Roger Guerreiro (from Legia Warsaw to PSG, Ajax and a number of clubs reported by press)
Sebastian Przyrowski (from Polonia Warsaw to Red Bull Salzburg)