Malenica joins Lech on loan

Malenica started his football career at NK Osijek - a Croatian club that was ranked 4th in Prva HNL last season. The 26-year-old keeper climbed up the academy’s ladder and then appeared in 117 matches for the first team, including 95 games on the top football tier out of which 27 were a clean sheet. Throughout his career, Malenica also had the chance to play on loan for HNK Segesta and HNK Cibalia.

During the 2019/20 season, Malenica was a substitute goalkeeper and got to defend the goal in one match (Croatian Cup), however, in the previous campaign, he was the first-choice keeper for Osijek’s coach and appeared in 42 matches, including 4 Europa League qualifying clashes. “Due to van der Hart’s injury, we had to look for another goalkeeper to secure the position. We would like to compete on all three fronts for as long as possible and in order to do that, we need to be ready in case one of our goalkeepers gets injured or is forced out for cards. Marko is meant to pressure Filip Bednarek and initiate a rivalry for the spot in the starting line-up. He has nearly 100 appearances in the Croatian premier league on his account and a great reputation. Last year, he was described as the league’s best keeper and being relatively young, he still has time to progress and become even better,” explained Tomasz Rząsa, Lech’s Sporting Director.

Malenica also has 9 caps in Croatian youth national teams on his account but he is still awaiting his debut for Vatreni senior team. “He has impressive physical qualities – he is tall and has long arms. In addition, his timing is great which means he is good at playing outside the box. His reflex is worth praise too. NK Osijek plays similar football to us; they like to stay in possession of the ball hence, naturally, Malenica is good at playing with his feet. We expect him to settle and adapt quickly,” emphasised Rząsa.

“I am excited about my move to Poznań. I can’t wait to play for such a great club. My experiences so far have been nothing but positive – the stadium is beautiful and ever since my medical tests have begun, everything has been going smoothly. I am happy to be here,” highlighted enthusiastically the Croatian keeper.

“I know that Lech has a great reputation in Poland and the club’s history is rich in titles. My first objective is to win a spot in the starting line-up, then I will focus on performing at my best throughout the whole season and help the team add some more trophies to the club’s showcase cabinet,” said Malenica.

Following COVID-19 tests – which came back with a negative result – Malenica travelled to Opalenica where Lech’s players have been training since Monday.