Tottenham and Sunderland said to be battling for Mucha

Yesterday morning, Legia Warsaw’s footballers gathered for their first training session of the year. The attending journalists, however, were mainly curious about one man – goalkeeper Jan Mucha. But he never showed up. He also missed the initial weigh-in, where, incidentally, a fine of 2,000 zloty was imposed for every kilogram of excess weight. Legia’s management sought to calm the media. “The information that he was undergoing tests is untrue. We would not agree to that. However, he asked us for two days off, which we granted. By Saturday his situation must be clarified,” said Legia sporting director Miroslaw Trzeciak. To clarify his words: Legia would not agree to Mucha undergoing tests, but not necessarily to his visit to a potential suitor... Trzeciak added that Legia’s offer for Jan Mucha – a salary of 350,000 euros per year – still stands. But when compared to the interest from England and Scotland, it sounds rather laughable.

Citing the player’s agent Jozef Tokos, Gazeta Wyborcza reported that there is a 99% chance the Slovak goalkeeper will remain at Legia until the end of the season. At that point his contract expires, meaning Legia would get nothing from his departure. However, Polish daily Sport Express quoted Jozef Tokos differently: “Everything is possible – leaving Legia or staying. So far, Janko has not signed a contract with any club,” he was reported to have said on Tuesday evening.

According to yesterday’s edition of The Sun, two English clubs are fighting for Jan Mucha. “Tottenham and Sunderland are interested. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is close to signing Mucha. The transfer would be worth £2.5 million, something the Polish club is also keen on, since in the summer the 27-year-old Slovak would leave for free,” wrote The Sun. Polish media, however, mention a different figure for a January transfer. Since Jan Mucha has only half a year left on his contract, Legia could, according to them, collect between a quarter and half a million euros.