The calm of the winter transfer window

(published in the Slovak daily newspaper Sport)

With the start of the spring portion of the Fortuna League season, the winter football transfer window has closed. As has often been the case before, the player market was marked by caution. Clubs stayed within their financial means—no excesses, no major surprises. Once again, no significant transfer from Slovakia to a foreign league took place this winter. It’s been a long time since we saw even a half-million-euro move. Compare that with Croatia (is their league really that much better?) and weep. This winter, Poland replaced the Czech Republic as the primary destination. A striking number of players—some of them quite notable—headed north, drawn by better financial conditions, infrastructure, media attention, and full stadiums.

In the opposite direction, into the Fortuna League, the most noteworthy moves were the returns of Sapara to Ružomberok, Vojtuš to Trnava, and Van Kessel to Trenčín. Žilina opted for subtle reinforcements in the form of teenage prospects Špalek and Benes. Slovan made a necessary and logical shake-up in its squad, with the biggest acquisition being Zreľák from Ružomberok. Young players in the first team are now waiting to seize their big chance.

Trnava saw the most transfers in and out, while Myjava and, as usual, Košice had a quiet transfer period. Zlaté Moravce experienced the most Libyan-Balkan uncertainty, drawing attention not only for giving the captain’s armband to 19-year-old Szőke (believe it, he wasn’t to blame) but also for a wave of Balkan signings. At one point, it looked like as many as eight of them might feature regularly... Yikes.

Clubs battling to avoid relegation logically sought and found experience (Sapara, Zošák, Masaryk to Ružomberok; Had to Banská Bystrica). Two coaching changes stood out: a double pirouette in Zlaté Moravce, where Totkovič came and went, and a last-minute switch in Podbrezová. Will the gamble pay off?

Fortuna League teams will soon find out whether their squads are genuinely stronger or just on paper. The first five spring rounds will act as a mirror. Only then will some clubs be able to make strategic decisions.

Let me repeat two sentences from a piece I published in this column a year ago (February 28, 2014): “Those clubs that realize after the first few spring rounds that even the Europa League is out of reach can give more opportunities to their young players. If just 10 undiscovered players managed to collect 100 appearances between them, it would make the youth national team coaches very happy.” Let’s be realistic—even 50 appearances would be enough.

Top-level global professional football as a business sector has been booming in recent years. Perhaps our tiny Slovak version can try to catch up... Football fans’ expectations this year are high—not only in terms of the quality of the domestic league and infrastructure, but especially in hopes of autumn victories by the national team that will finally launch us into the European Championship.

In the meantime, I wish you many great local experiences in the Fortuna League. May it be far more eventful than the winter transfer window!