"Feels like home" - Salamon joins Lech

Lech’s homegrown player returns to Bułgarska street after over 14 years spent playing on the Italian pitches. Salamon was born in Poznań and began his football career at a local club in Murowana Goślina. As a teenager, he competed for Lech’s Academy but before he could make a debut for the senior team, he was spotted by Italian scouts and joined Brescia, a Serie B side, at the age of 16.

Throughout the following 14 years, he got a total of nearly 300 appearances on the Italian pitches, out of which over 60 were in Serie A. The defender wore the shirts of Foggia, Sampdoria, Pescara, Cagliari, SPAL, Frosinone and even AC Milan. “I played in Italy for 14 years for various teams. I had the chance to compete in Serie B as well as Serie A and managed to gather lots of valuable experience, hence I decided it was time for a new challenge. Lech is the perfect club for me because it has very ambitious goals both on the local and international arena, and I would love to win trophies with the team,” said Salamon.

“It truly feels great to be back. I have been wondering what it’s going to feel like to return to Poznań and I have to admit that it’s like I never left. Whenever I changed clubs back in Italy, I needed some time to adjust, but here I already feel settled. It simply feels like home,” explained Lech’s homegrown player.

Salamon has not only gained experience in Italian leagues, but also whilst playing for the Polish National Team. He made his official debut for the white-and-red squad at the age of 22 in the clash with San Marino (5:0) back in 2014, in World Cup qualifiers. The defender added another 8 caps when Adam Nawałka was the coach, during the 2016 European Championships in France.

“After long years spent abroad, Bartosz Salamon is back in Poznań. We are thrilled to see our Academy players return home. Bartosz spent 14 years in Italy and collected nearly 300 appearances in Serie B and Serie A which makes him very experienced and that’s one of the key characteristics of a good centre-back. He is skilled at positioning in the box, he’s great in the air, and can also turn into a playmaker when needed and set his teammates up with a precise long ball,” explained Tomasz Rząsa, Lech’s Sporting Director.

Throughout autumn, Salamon wore the shirt of Serie B side called SPAL. He appeared in 13 games and scored two goals. “We came close to reaching an agreement with Bartosz in summer. However, in the end, SPAL did not agree to a transfer. Now we have finally finalised the negotiations successfully and we are thrilled to have Salamon join Lech - he will be a great addition to our defence,” added Rząsa.