Lukasz Fabianski would ideally like to stay in London – if not the Premier League – after his contract at West Ham United expires in July.
But, after Fabianski rejected a return to Poland with Legia Warsaw, will the goalkeeper actually receive the sort of offers he is looking for?
There are unlikely to be a flurry of offers from rival Premier League clubs for the former Arsenal and Swansea City glovesman.
While the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United have taken to signing veteran shot-stoppers in an attempt to boost their home grown quota – see Rob Green, Lee Grant and Tom Heaton, while City last week replaced Scott Carson with Marcus Bettineli – Lukasz Fabianski does not fall into the same bracket.
Despite spending the last 18 years on UK soil, Fabianski does not count as ‘Home Grown’ under Premier League criteria.
But if West Ham United’s long-serving number one is willing to drop down to the Football League for the first time, there may still be offers available to him.
Take Charlton Athletic, for instance.
Lukasz Fabianski offered to Charlton after West Ham United exit
Reporter Richard Cawley, writing in South London Sport, claims that Fabianski has been ‘offered’ to Charlton in the aftermath of their play-off final victory over fellow Londoners Leyton Orient in May.
Cawley believes that a deal that would see Fabianski make the six mile trip from the London Stadium to The Valley ‘does not seem set to progress’ as things stand, but maybe there are alternative destinations still to present themselves.
Charlton will be sharing a division with Millwall and Queens Park Rangers next season.
Providing there is space in their squad for a 40-year-old goalkeeper, and provided Fabianski’s wage demands are not too prohibitive, his desire to spend the next few years in the English capital should provide plenty of food for thought for those other London-based outfits.
Poland goalkeeper Fabianski rejects Legia Warsaw in favour of London stay
Fabianski opened up on his discussions with Legia Warsaw during an interview with Polish publication Sport a couple of days ago. He rebuffed the advances of sporting director Michal Zewlakow for family reasons.
“I spoke with Michal and thanked him very much for his interest,” Fabianski explained. “However, I have repeated many times that the most important thing for me is my son’s development.”
“[My son] has adapted very well to the conditions [in London], so we do not want to risk harming him in any way. It is known that the education system in England is very different from that in Poland. Of course, he has his own group of colleagues and friends.
“I think that a huge change would be too much of a risk for now. We are very happy with his development, he is a priority for us, so now we are making all decisions with our child in mind.
“I’m at a stage in my professional life where I’m not in a hurry. I’m calmly analysing everything, enjoying my free time. We’ll see what life brings. I don’t have to rush anymore.”
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