It is a well-trodden path, and Maik Nawrocki looks set to be next in walking it.
If he puts pen to paper on a deal to join Celtic in the coming days, he will follow the likes of Artur Boruc and Josip Juranovic in swapping Legia Warsaw for Parkhead. And his two predecessors didn’t do too badly at all.
There has been much speculation as to where Brendan Rodgers would next focus his transfer attention, having already strengthened in midfield and attack. And it seems he has concluded that the heart of defence is a priority area for re-enforcement. Celtic have Cameron Carter-Vickers on the way back from injury, and he has formed an excellent partnership with Carl Starfelt over the past two years.
Yuki Kobayashi was recruited in the January window, but the evidence from his few appearances at the tail-end of last season is that he is not quite ready for regular involvement – Ange Postecoglou preferred Tomoki Iwata over him for the Scottish Cup final – and may even be a little short on confidence. Celtic were briefly linked with Jonny Evans, a key player for Rodgers at Leicester City, before he signed a short-term deal with Manchester United, but the 36-year-old never felt like an option to suit the Parkhead club’s recruitment model.
Volendam’s Xavier Mbuyamba has been another name in the frame, but it’s the pursuit of Nawrocki which is now the most advanced. Rated at £4million, Legia manager Kosta Runjaic revealed on Friday there was a ‘serious offer’ tabled for the 22-year-old, and revealed he is resigned to losing him imminently.
Background
A Polish youth international, Nawrocki spent almost his entire early career in Werder Bremen’s academy. Born in Germany, he signed for the Bundesliga club aged just five years old and progressed through the age groups before slotting into their reserve side and signing a professional contract in 2020, aged 19. Bremen’s reserves play in the country’s fourth tier, but Nawrocki was sent out on-loan to Polish side Warta Poznan in February 2021 as German football was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A further loan would follow at Legia, who were impressed enough to make Nawrocki’s move permanent in May 2022 at a cost of €1.5m. He has made 60 appearances, including during the loan spell, for the Ekstraklasa giants, and was a mainstay of their Polish Cup winning season last term. He would arrive at Celtic with some limited European experience under his belt, having played twice in the Champions League six times in the Europa League.
Despite spending his early life in Bremen, Nawrocki has represented Poland from U-15 level onwards, and was included in their provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup before missing out on the final cut.
What would he bring to Celtic?
Predominantly a centre-back, Nawrocki also has experience covering at right-back and in defensive midfield, albeit infrequently. With Celtic already well-stocked for midfield options, it’s almost certain Rodgers sees the player as additional centre-back cover.
Describe as comfortable using both feet, Nawrocki has played on either side of a central defensive pairing for Legia, and seemingly has little issue alternating between the two. Carter-Vickers has nailed down the right side of central defence, leaving everybody else to contest that one remaining spot.
Initial impressions of Nawrocki show a physically well-equipped centre-back. Standing at 6ft 1, he has stature and athleticism in abundance. He is also one of those defenders who – and this isn’t always a given, surprisingly – just loves to defend.
He is a very much a ‘body on the line’ centre-back, unafraid to throw himself in where he might get hurt, whether that’s in making tackles or taking a sore one to ensure a shot on target is denied, Nawrocki is very often in there where it might hurt. Such traits can, at times, point to a rather chaotic centre-back constantly making aethestically-pleasing yet desperate recovery challenges.
But there is a measured quality to Nawrocki’s play, even at such a relatively young age for a centre-back. It’s a position where players are generally considered to take longer to grow into more prominent roles but the fact he has been trusted with responsibility from the moment he joined Legia suggests a maturity in his game.
He was singled out as a standout performer in the six Europa League outings he made for Legia in 2021, playing all 90 minutes of four matches and missing the other two through injury. He may even have caught Rodgers’ eye back then, with Legia defeating his Leicester side in Warsaw. Nawrocki racked up some impressive numbers during the group stage, winning 79 per cent of defensive duals and averaging over five clearances and two interceptions per 90 minutes.
Playing in a Legia side which tends to dominate possession domestically also ensures readiness for a transition to Celtic, where Nawrocki will see plenty of the ball and be expected to help launch attacks from deep.
Where will he fit in?
Nawrocki’s most likely place in the squad is as backup to Carter-Vickers and Starfelt, at least for the time being. Rodgers will need cover should the likes of Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales depart this summer.
Welsh barely featured in Ange Postecoglou’s second season, albeit he was unfortunate with injuries, while Scales had a mixed loan spell at Aberdeen. Both player went on the Japan tour but the pursuit of Nawrocki suggests at least one will be moved on in the weeks to come.
Legia are, of course, a big club in their own right but Nawrocki will not quite have experienced the pressure and expectation that comes with playing for Celtic, and should be allowed time to adjust on and off the pitch. There’s always the possibility, though, that he makes an instant impact to become part of Rodgers’ starting XI.
Either way, he is another example of Celtic’s policy of buying young players with potentially high re-sale value, and an intriguing signing in his own right.
