Arajuuri’s three years in Lech

A COMEBACK

Paulus Arajuuri was signed by Lech Poznan in 2013. However, his contract started on the 1st of January 2014 and was meant to last for 3 years.

“We are thrilled to welcome Paulus to the squad. We wanted the defender to join the team as soon as possible, but he is still recovering from a hip injury. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that Paulus is going to be one of our defensive leaders since the beginning of the next year,” said Piotr Rutkowski, Lech’s vice-chairman, shortly after signing the contract.

(UN)SUCCESSFUL DEBUT

Arajuuri debuted in April 2014 against Jagiellonia Bialystok. The match ended with a 6:1 win for the team from Poznan. However, the Finnish footballer lacked two elements for him to consider the debut successful. Firstly, he did not score a goal, but one of his header’s stopped on the post. Secondly, Lech did not keep a clean sheet. It was the Finnish player that accidentally touched the ball with his hand inside the box, which forced the referee to award Jagiellonia with a penalty kick that Quintana converted into a goal.

“I believe the referee shouldn’t have whistled in that situation. I was very close and there was nothing I could do for the ball not to touch my hand. It is a pity because we wanted to keep a clean sheet. However, I still believe I couldn’t have dreamed of a better debut,” said Arajuuri after the match.

SAVED A POINT

Arajuuri scored his first goal for Lech in the clash with Pogon Szczecin. The defender decided for an individual run shortly before the referee blew the final whistle. “When I saw that Gergo had the ball, I ran into the offensive line without hesitation. Not a lot of my teammates followed the counterattack and I thought I could make a difference. As you can see, I actually did,” said Paulus. “I am a defender and I am held accountable for my job in the defense, but goals always make me thrilled, especially those that are worth valuable points,” explained the Finn.

THE FIRST TROPHY

The Polish Championship won by Lech in 2015 was the defender’s first trophy. Arajuuri was one of the crucial leaders in 2014/15 and thanks to his hard work Lech’s defensive line was the best one in the whole league.

APPROACHING THE END

In July 2016 Lech Poznan informed the fans that the two sides reached an agreement and decided not to extend Arajuuri’s contract. The defender decided to continue his football career at Broendby Copenhagen, but he also reassured the supporters that he will continue doing his best when competing in Lech’s shirt.

“We are pleased with Arajuuri’s professionalism. We knew he was about to leave us in December, therefore we signed Lasse Nielsen in summer,” said Piotr Rutkowski.

THE LAST CONFERENCE

“Lech is the club that taught me the most and I hope that in June I will get another chance to celebrate the Championship with Lech. Despite working for another club, I would be thrilled to return to Poznan and enjoy the celebrations. I feel like I am a part of Lech. The Championship was my biggest success and I hope the team wins it again,” said Arajuuri shortly before leaving Lech Poznan.