Waldemar Fornalik's future has been uncertain since the beginning of 2024. At that time, there was speculation that the former Polish national team coach would leave the club at the end of the 2023/24 season, when his previous contract with Zagłębie Lubin expired. The “Copper” team did not make any progress in gamewhich was tiring fansFornalik himself was reluctant to rely on young players, and his team was still firmly entangled in the fight for survival five rounds before the end of the season.
Another coaching change in Ekstraklasa? The former coach's job is hanging by a thread again
At that time, however, Zagłębie won four games in a row and made an impressive run for eighth place, which was presented as a success by sports director Piotr Burlikowski at the post-season press conference, even though before the games in Lubin they had assumed a fight for the top six and an end to mediocrity.
However, she settled in Zagłębie for good, but Fornalik and Burlikowski managed to pull the wool over the eyes of the new president of the club, Paweł Jeż. Waldemar Fornalik's contract was unexpectedly extended by one year, and director Burlikowski also remained in the club.
Despite the lack of personnel changes and major transfers, Zagłębie was supposed to be better, more attractive and more focused on youth. The beginning of the season, however, must have been a real shock for the Zagłębie management, because it turned out that doing the same thing over and over again does not produce different results.
What's more, they've become even worse. After nine matches, the Lubin team has only eight points and after a defeat in Czestochowa with Raków as much as 1:5 they fell to the relegation zone, and their game is still unwatchable. The only new youth player who would play regularly, apart from Tomasz Pieńko and Bartłomiej Kłudka, was Igor Orlikowski, who with good performances pushed Michał Nalepa out of the line-up, who started the season in the starting eleven, but in the first match against Legia Warsaw (0:2) he saw a senseless red card.
All this means that Waldemar Fornalik's job is once again hanging by a thread. This is what the weekly “Piłka Nożna” is sayingwhere it was written that after the match in Częstochowa “there was a tense moment in the offices of Zagłębie Lubin officials. The “Copper” management has been probing the coaching market for several weeks, looking for a potential successor to Waldemar Fornalik”. “Decisions should be made soon” – adds the weekly's portal.
Now Zagłębie has a match in the 1/32 final of the Polish Cup – on Thursday they will play away with second-league Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała. The next league match of the “Copper” will take place on Sunday, when they will host Radomiak Radom at their own stadium.
So far this season of the Ekstraklasa three clubs have changed coaches – in Korona Kielce Kamil Kuzera was replaced by Jacek Zieliński, and in Stal Mielec Janusz Niedźwiedź was contracted to replace Kamil Kiereś. In addition, Jens Gustafsson left Pogoń Szczecin for the Arabian Al Fateh, replaced by Robert Kolendowicz.