Southampton currently have a scouting team out in Poland to watch this month’s European Under-21 Championship.
Two players are said of particular interest to the recruiting team, Sunderland’s Swedish striker Joel Asoro and Lech Poznań central defender Jan Bednarek.
Bednarek is probably lesser known by most Southampton fans, so here’s a look at the young defender’s career so far.
Early years and loan
Having come through the youth system at his boyhood club Lech Poznań, Bednarek broke into the senior team at the age of 18. Although used sparingly in team for the first two seasons, he represented Poland at all junior levels.
In the summer of 2015 Bednarek was sent out to join Górnik Łęczna on a season-long loan.
Having been promoted back up to the Ekstraklasa in 2014, the team from eastern Poland have since been perennial strugglers. In each season they have finished in the bottom few positions, narrowly avoiding relegation, and this season was no different.
Bednarek didn’t get much of a chance in the first team straight away. He had a spell at the end of 2015 but lost his place during a nine-game stretch without a win.
Fortunately that wasn’t the end of his experience in Łęczna. He broke back into the team towards the end of the season, helping them to two wins and two draws in the last five games of the season.
This late run ultimately saved the team from relegation, and Bednarek finished with a total of 18 appearances.
Return to Lech Poznań
After playing more regular football in the second half of the previous season, Bednarek returned to his parent club. Coach Jan Urban named him on the bench as an unused substitute for the opening fiyr games, none of which Lech won.
Under pressure and needing a win, he started Bednarek in the next league match. The young defender scored and Lech beat Cracovia 2-1.
Although the win didn’t save Urban’s job (he was fired a couple of weeks later) it did kick start Bednarek’s season.
Lech Poznań went on to qualify for the Europa League, finishing third in the Ekstraklasa and only four points behind the eventual winners. Bednarek made 27 appearances in a defence that conceded only 22 goals in the campaign, the tightest in the league.
They also made it to the Polish Cup final, losing 2-1 after extra time. Bednarek was part of a defence that held firm for 107 minutes on that day.
During this season the young defender was also named the 2016 ‘Discovery of the Season’ by Piłka Nożna. His manager, ex-Croatian international Nenad Bjelica, told the magazine “In my opinion, he is the best central defender in the Polish league.” High praise for a 21-year-old.
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Suitability
Whilst on loan at Górnik Łęczna, Bednarek was sometimes utilised as a defensive midfielder due to his ball playing skills and passing ability. Combine this skill with his strength, stature (he’s 6’2”), jumping ability and quickness, and on paper you have a ready-made Premier League defender.
He has also been described as vocal and determined, “encouraging his older teammates to keep going.” But Bednarek is still only 21, and still has a lot to learn.
Sportowe Fakty rated Bednarek 5/10 for his performance in the under-21’s opening loss to Slovakia on Friday. He was said to be at fault for the winning goal as he went to ground too quickly and failed to make his tackle. The Polish sports portal described him as a ‘sapper’ – “when he went wrong, the bomb exploded.”
With interest from clubs in Germany and Italy, Bednarek seems more and more likely to move on this summer. Hannover have already had a €2.5m bid rejected, and Freiburg, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sampdoria are said to be tabling offers.
Southampton have offered an alleged €6m proposal, which would be the biggest transfer fee ever paid to a Polish club. However it’s a comparatively small investment in a transfer window that could believably see the first £100m signing.
It is naive to expect a 21-year-old to step into the boots of Virgil, Fonte or even Caceres, so it’s positive to see some realism in reports that Bednarek will be a signing for the future.
With Southampton known for their ability to discover unknown talent, fans will undoubtedly be intrigued to see this deal go through.