Limerick to sign Moscow duo only if price is right
Polish international Dawid Janczyk could sign on loan for Limerick FC this week
LIMERICK FC chairman Pat O’Sullivan says the club will only agree a loan deal with CSKA Moscow for the two players who featured in a friendly on Monday night against Sligo Rovers “if the price is right”.
In one of the most remarkable transfer stories that Limerick have been involved in, Polish international Dawid Janczyk and former Czech Republic U-20 World Cup finalist Lubos Kalouda - who was signed by CSKA for £5m in 2008 - flew into Shannon Airport on Sunday night, played for Limerick on Monday and have been shown around the city during the week.
Both players are only 24 but despite their impressive background, O’Sullivan insists the club won’t be “doing anything silly” and will only sign the players on loan at what they deem a reasonable fee.
“If the financials aren’t right it won’t happen - no matter how good they are,” said O’Sullivan.
“They’re full-time professionals and coming from a much higher structure but we have a budget and we have to keep to that. We have to agree a deal that is financially sensible.”
Janczyk signed a five-year deal with CSKA in 2007 but despite featuring in the group stages of the Champions League with them that season, and being included in Poland’s preliminary squad for the Euro 2008, he hasn’t played with the club since the end of 2007.
He has been on loan to clubs in Belgium, Poland and the Ukraine and was recently linked with a move to Qatar.
Kalouda only made five appearances for CSKA after signing for £5m and has been on loan since to, first, Sparta Prague and later Volgar Gasprom (Russia) and PFK Oleksandria (Ukraine).
O’Sullivan said both players will be subjected to a rigorous medical while manager Pat Scully said they “will do their homework properly” on the two players.
“We have to be comfortable they can do a job for us,” added O’Sullivan. “We’re not signing them for who they once were. We have a strong squad but we need backup in a couple of positions. We only need two or three players
“We also have to make sure that our youth players feel there’s an avenue for them through to the first team. We’ve eight or 10 players who have come through from our underage system and we want to continue that.”
Pat Scully said that both players impressed in Monday’s 3-2 friendly loss to Sligo Rovers in Terryland Park. Kalouda played central midfield while Janczyk was up front and scored Limerick’s second goal.
“Everything looks great on the surface,” said Scully, “but obviously you have to dig a bit deeper. If it’s right, it would be great to bring in quality like that.
“We have a great group of young players but won’t be bringing these lads in if we don’t think they’re as good as the players we already have.
“We got a look at them on Monday night. It was difficult on them as they only flew in the night before and we could only go through few things quickly with them in terms of tactics. But Lubos played in central midfield and you could see that he has real quality.
“We were a bit dis-organized so it was harder for Dawid up front but his movement was very good and he only got one chance and scored a screamer of a goal.”
Scully reckons that a move to Ireland could help re-launch their careers.
“They’re not in the CSKA Moscow team but there’s no shame in that,” he added.
“The transfer window is still open here unlike most other countries in Europe at the moment. It’s the closest league to England and you just have to look at the likes of Kevin Doyle, James McClean or Keith Fahey to see that it is a shop window for players.”
Limerick open their Airtricity League Division 1 campaign at home to Finn Harps on Friday, March 3.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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