An 'Experts' View on Celtic's New Signing

Polish football blogger Michal Zachodny brings you the lowdown on Neil Lennon's newest recruit.

The name Jaroslaw Fojut will have barely registered on most Celtic fans' radar in the past but, following the news the Polish defender will move to the club in the summer, everyone's seeking information on the 24-year-old.

Polish football expert Michal Zachodny, who runs the Polish Scout blog, has seen Fojut's career develop with Slask Wroclaw since his return from Bolton Wanderers and has told STV what supporters at Parkhead can expect from their new recruit.

You can also follow Michal on Twitter at @polishscout.

"Although the move came as a big surprise in Poland, it was way better prepared than most of Polish fans even think, as confirmed by Celtic’s manager Neil Lennon.

"With Slask Wroclaw, the current Ekstraklasa leaders, having several players in the last months of their deals and struggling to get their signatures before the end of the 2011, it was obvious that not everyone will stay.

"But while fans and experts focused on different names, Fojut’s went unmentioned. He wasn’t even in contention for the Polish squad for Euro 2012. His last games for the national team were played in Canada, during the 2007 Under 20 World Cup, where he was one of the team's best players in beating a young and hugely talented Brazil side.

"His comeback to Poland following a failed attempt to make the breakthrough at Bolton Wanderers was more of a statement of intent for Slask rather than the player himself. With the club just promoted to the Polish top flight, it was a big signing. When he scored with a powerful header on his debut against Lechia in Gdansk, fans already were convinced by him.

"He won the Polish League Cup with the team in his first months but there were blips as well, as in the dramatic 3-3 game with Arka at the end of the 2008/09 season, when he scored one own goal and made mistakes in two goals as well.

"Unfortunately, he missed the final of the League Cup due to injury. His health problems hit his chances to maintain his position in the squad and prove his worth on a season-long basis. He played only 10 games the following year and injured himself during a reserve league game when trying an ambitious scissor-kick clearance.

"Thankfully for him, he was ready for the start of 2010/11 campaign and, along with rest of the team, Slask impressed hugely to get from second bottom in September 2010 to become vice-champions last May. But he missed the ending once again due to injury and it kept him sidelined for the whole European adventure of Slask, when they beat Dundee United, and Lokomotiv Sofia before going out to Rapid Bucharest.

"When Fojut eventually came back to the squad, he quickly established himself at the heart of the defence and played every minute, scoring against Jagiellonia Bialystok - his first Ekstraklasa goal since the debut.

"There were no talks of possible interest in his situation at Slask when the winter break started in Polish football. The club’s authorities were confident enough to stall the talks of a new deal for the duration of a pre-season training camp in Spala with the rest of the team. The news of a deal came like a bolt from the blue and definitely will hurt the team’s aspirations this season and for the following campaign.

"But what might they be missing? Although he played only 51 league games in three years at Slask, he quickly gained the reputation of being the best Ekstraklasa player in the air. He is also regarded as one of the strongest and a hard, but fair, tackler, as well as being a good reader of the game.

"He formed a very good partnership with Piotr Celeban and Dariusz Pietrasiak and, thanks to both, Slask have one of the best defensive records in the league since he came to the club.

"Slask fans are already disappointed with his transfer and are blaming the club’s authorities for the situation. But it’s hard to believe that this offer could be turned down by the player. He is still very much keen on the British game, influenced by his time at Bolton and Luton Town, and the challenge at Celtic is arguably more ambitious one than at Slask, despite the club moving to a new 44,000 all-seater stadium built for Euro 2012.

"Fojut believes that although the chances for him making it for the European Championships are next to zero, being only 24, he can challenge for the place in the squad for World Cup 2014 qualifiers, where Poland will face England among other teams from Group H."



Taken from the STV website.

Sounds like he could be a decent acquisition but he does seem to be injury prone.