10 – this is how many points Lech Poznań has on its account after five matches played in the new season of the Ekstraklasa. After Mariusz Rumak left, the team was taken over by Niels Frederiksen. So far, under the leadership of the new coach, the team has been playing solidly, although it has already had a slip-up in Łódź. At the end of July, Lech unexpectedly lost to Widzew 1:2. Then it quickly rehabilitated itself, winning 3:1 with Lechia Gdańsk, and then a goalless draw with Raków Częstochowa. On Saturday, the Poznań team played away with Zagłębie Lubin.
Lech's big transfer dud on the way out. He's already found a new club
There was only one goal in this match, scored by Afonso Sousa in the 19th minute. This is a huge transfer failure for Lech, for whom two years ago they paid over a million euros. The same can be said about the player who assisted in the Portuguese's goal. We are talking about Ali Gholizadeh. The Iranian came to Poznań last summer, leaving the Belgian R Charleroi SC for a whopping 1.8 million euros!
The 28-year-old winger has failed to prove himself in our backyard. Last season, he played only 13 matches, during which he did not score a single goal or provide an assist. Ali Gholizadeh's first numbers in Lech Poznań's colours were not until the aforementioned clash with Zagłębie. Thus, it can be said that this was the Iranian's first good match in the colours of the Polish club. But it turns out that it may be one of the last!
According to journalist Hatam Shiralizadeh, the 28-year-old will leave Lech any minute now. What's more, he has already found a new employer, which is supposed to be Iranian Persepolis FC. Lech valued their player at 1.5 million euros and that is the amount they expect from anyone interested in buying Gholizadeh. Meanwhile, Persepolis officials still believe that they will be able to sign the player for around one million euros. Another option is to loan him out. The whole matter will probably be resolved in the coming weeks.
If the transfer actually went through, Lech would get rid of a big dud, losing 300 thousand euros on the transaction and the salary that Ali Gholizadeh was receiving. Despite this, it is clear that Niels Frederiksen is trying to rebuild the Iranian in the new season. The 28-year-old has been given chances by the coach in every match so far and finally paid back with an assist. It is possible that in the end this will be the only thing that will go down in the history of the Poznań team.
In the sixth round, Lech will face Pogoń Szczecin at home.