Mateusz Zukowski’s move to Ibrox failed largely because of the form of James Tavernier, Rangers scout Piotr Kasprzak explains after the youngster returned to Poland with Slask Wroclaw.
We are all guilty of over-analysing at times. Did Mateusz Zukowski struggle to adapt to life in a new league, in a new country, and to a new language? Was he ever good enough for Rangers in the first place?
Well, perhaps there is a far simpler answer as to why the £400,000 signing from Lechia Gdansk failed to make his mark at Ibrox. And that answer is James Tavernier. The Rangers captain, the Europa League’s Golden Boot winner in 2022, and pretty much the first name on the team-sheet at the time.
Mateusz Zukowski barely played for Rangers
“Let me make it clear right away. Yes, today we can say that it was not a successful transfer,” Kasprzak, a Rangers scout based in Poland, tells Goal.
“However, I remember (Zukowski’s) first months at the club. The feedback was very positive, from the staff and the players. Physical tests? Top three, maybe top five, in each category.
“But we reached the final of the Europa League that season, James Tavernier played in Mateusz’s position. And how he played… He became the top scorer in the Europa League and played as right-back.
“When I look at this transfer today, the conclusion is that the enthusiasm resulting from the transfer too quickly turned into discouragement caused by the lack of playing time. Tavernier played almost every game.
“We were chasing Celtic in the league. There weren’t many options for rotation. Tavernier was the captain.”
Zukowski only ever played one game for Rangers before leaving permanently over the summer. Kasprzak, meanwhile, believes the decision to join Lech Poznan on loan in August 2022 was a mistake, Zukowski featuring more for the club’s reserves than he did for their first-team.
Struggling to convince back in Poland
“I think the decision was made too quickly. ‘(Zukowski said) I’m going on loan because I won’t play here’,” the scout adds.
Now at Slask Wroclaw, Zukowski is featuring as a winger rather than a right-back these days, though a chance of position is yet to really reap rewards. The 21-year-old recently lost his place in the starting XI, head coach Jacek Magiera warning Zukowski that he is in danger of wasting his potential.
“I smiled recently when Jacek Magiera said that Zukowski has everything to be a Polish international,” Kasprzak concludes, backing his compatriot to bounce back and prove his doubters wrong.
“I smiled, because these were my words before his move to Scotland. Mateusz must understand that everything is in his hands. I’m glad he found coach Magiera, because he’s a coach who can reach players mentally.
“And Mateusz knows that I am always in his corner. We talked for hours about football and life. It’s a matter of him actually redeeming himself, because I believe in him.”
