Central defender of the Estonian national team Märten Kuusk (27), who signed a one and a half year contract with the Polish top league club GKS Katowice, revealed to Soccernet.ee that he prefers this team to Bohemians, where another player now plays Estonian, Sten Reinkort. According to Kuus, his new home club has a clear goal of advancing to the Polish Premier League.
Four-time Estonian champion Kuusk returned to his first foreign club, Ujpest (Hungarian Premier League), on loan from Tallinna Flora in the summer. Then he came on as a substitute in his first league match on August 26 (in the 50th minute) and the match against Zalaegerszeg was won 2:1, but the more Serbian coach Nebojša Vignjevic did not send him on the field from the bench. in the Hungarian Premier League.
Kuusk recalled that when he returned to Ujpest in the summer, the reception was cold: “I went to Hungary when the season had already started and four matches had been played. The reception was like night and day compared at the Polish club – for example, I had to find out a lot about what tactics they play and what needs to be paid attention to. The coaching team did not show any initiative that it would be useful for me to integrate and immediately learn the most important principles of the It was a quite interesting and different experience.
I tried to take the initiative as much as possible and show myself on the good side every day in training, once I even went to play doubles. In the first match of the representative team I came on the pitch as a substitute and we won, and at least the assistant coach said it went well, but unfortunately I didn’t have any more time to play. This is football, the coach made other choices.”
According to Kuus, he wanted to talk to Vignjevic, but the coach did not want to and postponed the conversation: “After the national team match in October, where I played, he commented something in passing: that he had watched and that it was fine – but not there was nothing left, I had to accept the situation, continue working, try to put myself on the field and hope that maybe he would change his decisions, but in the end it was better to leave Ujpest.”
The club has big ambitions
Kuuse’s agent, Harri Ojamaa, spoke to the president of Ujpest and the Hungarian club agreed to sell the Estonian central defender. The most specific new interests for the 29-time international were two: a club from the Irish Premier League and one from the Polish Premier League.
“This rumor was true: there was an offer from Bohemians, where Sten Reinkort has now moved. Both Katowice and Bohemians really wanted me. These offers came at the same time, so I had to think, write down the pros and cons and decide where go. Of course I was more interested, but those were the two most concrete options. At the beginning it was not easy to decide. I thought for a long time, discussed with Harri, compared leagues and clubs. My instinct said that he would come to Katowice, the Poland was the right decision.
I think the league here is a little bit stronger and definitely more consistent. I can’t say about the clubs. I don’t know exactly the strength of Bohemians, they don’t always try to fight for a European place and the title. I’ll have to find out from Reinkord how strong his club is and then we’ll compare,” Kuusk laughed.
“What I liked about Katowice is that they were specifically interested and did a very thorough analysis of me. They have a very professional club, they welcomed me very well, I’m grateful for that. And the club’s ambition is high They try to play attractive attacking football and get to the Ekstraklasa: this is the main goal and it also speaks to me: going to the Ekstraklasa is not just a buzzword, but the club is also taking concrete steps to achieve this goal. Here the coaches, the locker room and the whole club feel and see it.”
According to his teammates, the championship should go well for Kuus
Katowice is only in 11th place out of 18 teams in the Polish top flight during the winter break. However, the differences are not very big: ten points separate the leader at the moment, seven points from Artur Pika’s home team Opole Odra, which is in sixth place. Sixth place is important because it leads to the final qualifying phase, where four clubs (from third to sixth in the table) fight for the last place in the Premier League.
Kuusk confirmed that Katowice hopes to move up already this season: “It’s difficult to get to the Ekstraklasa, but it shouldn’t be easy. First we’ll try to reach sixth place and then hopefully from there. We have to take it one day at a time and fight to do it.”
Kuusk said he spoke to teammate Pika, the Odra left-back, currently in sixth place, before moving to Katowice: “He was one of the first people I communicated with straight away. I also spoke to others who they played here in the league, for example [Matvei] Even with Igonen he knew something [Rauno] Bile. They praised the good level of consistency and professionalism of the league and thought it should suit my style as a player well, as there is a lot of duels and physical play.”
The Estonian defender made the six-hour journey from Budapest to Katowice on Wednesday. In the five days so far he has had only positive impressions of his new place: “I like the city, I like the club, my teammates are friendly, supportive and positive. I’m looking forward to training and playing together.”
The first championship match of the year is scheduled in Katowice on February 19, when the opponent is Lublini Motor, located in the third row of the table. Before that, several friendly matches take place.
There are currently only three foreign players in the Katowice team: a Japanese (Shun Shibata), an Ecuadorian (Christian Aleman) and now an Estonian. “I heard that the club wants to welcome more and more foreigners step by step, so that they can help raise the level of the team with a different style,” Kuusk said.
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2024-01-15 21:26:36
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