Winter of content in Poland

By Maciej Iwanski

The long winter break continues in Poland, but there has been plenty of speculation and transfer activity to grab the attention of football-starved Polish supporters.

Wisla dominating
Despite being only a month into the staggering 112-day season interval, all 14 Ekstraklasa sides have returned to training - Zaglebie Lubin being the last to do so when they reconvened on Monday. Wisla Kraków, league leaders by eight points at the halfway stage, continue to dominate off the field too. The squad, bolstered by the addition of midfielder Radoslaw Sobolewski from Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski, are training in Croatia under new coach Werner Licka.

Sizeable compensation
Licka, who expects midfielder Miroslaw Szymkowiak and striker Maciej Zurawski to be sold to southern European teams before the campaign resumes in March, usurped Henryk Kasperczak as coach in December. But Kasperczak is still refusing to resign and, with the club forced to foot an €800,000 compensation package should they dismiss him, the saga looks set to rumble on.

Young acquisitions
Second-placed Legia Warszawa have promised to unveil a "new top-class player" as they bid to close the gap on Wisla. But, besides the presence of likely signing, Lech Poznan defender Pawel Kaczorowski, at their midwinter training camp, their vision seems to be longer term. Hence the acquisition of talented young goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and forward Dariusz Zjawinski, both of whom may struggle to force their way into the reckoning this season.

Groclin departures
In contrast, Groclin have lost key players this winter. Sobolewski's departure to the league leaders, along with the sales of Ivica Krizanac to Russian club FC Zenit St. Peterburg and Sebastian Mila to FK Austria Wien, has left coach Dusan Radolsky facing an uphill struggle. The Slovakian, however, is not one to panic and remains confident of recruiting two of the several trialists currently training with the third-placed side.

Ekwueme fiasco
Although 32-year-old former Polish international midfielder Piotr Swierczewski has rejoined the club after his six-month spell with KS Cracovia, Lech are still reeling following the Emmanuel Ekwueme contract fiasco. The 25-year-old Nigerian midfielder delighted coach Czeslaw Michniewicz by signing for the club, but then announced he had already agreed a deal with Greek outfit Aris Thessaloniki FC. The matter is being dealt with by the Polish Football Federation while Lech train in Spain.