Puszcza Niepołomice confirmed two more reinforcements before the start of the new season. The team led by Tomasz Tułacz was joined by center defender Filip Szabaciuk and left defender Mark Strajnar. Both signed contracts valid until June 30, 2028.

The club from Niepołomice has been consistently rebuilding its squad after falling to the bottom of the Ekstraklasa. Szabaciuk and Strajnar are the eighth and ninth players acquired by Puszcza during the summer transfer window.

Szabaciuk stays at the first league level

Filip Szabaciuk has been associated with Górnik Łęczna for recent seasons. He played a total of 44 games for this club, 16 of which took place in the previous campaign.

Górnik failed to stay in the first league, but the 23-year-old defender will still play at this level. Puszcza decided to sign a player who already has experience in the competition and can immediately increase competition in the defensive center.

A new stage after leaving Łęczna

Moving to Niepołomice gives Szabaciuk the opportunity to further develop without having to go to a lower level. In the new club, he will fight for regular appearances and a place in the starting lineup.

The length of the concluded contract shows that Puszcza treats this transfer as a solution for more than one season. The defender has a chance to become an important element of the team built by Tomasz Tułacz.

Strajnar outside Slovenia for the first time

The second new player was Mark Strajnar. The 22-year-old plays primarily on the left side of defense and has so far spent his entire senior career in his home country.

His football achievements include appearances for NK Domžale, NK Maribor, NS Mura and NK Primorje. He represented the latter club last season.

Experience from the Slovenian Premier League

Despite his young age, Strajnar has already managed to accumulate a lot of minutes at the highest level of the competition in Slovenia. He has made 77 appearances in the local league.

He also played in the youth national team of his country, for which he played ten matches. The transfer to Poland will be his first attempt outside his home league.

Reinforced defensive formation

The acquisition of two defenders indicates that Puszcza is focusing on increasing the quality and depth in defense. Szabaciuk will compete for a place in the center, while Strajnar provides an additional option on the left side of the field.

Both players are still at a relatively early stage of their careers, but they already have league experience. The club can therefore count on both their immediate help and further development in the following seasons.

Nine new players

The summer reconstruction of the Forest is very extensive. Before Szabaciuk and Strajnar, the team was joined by Filip Andrzejczak, Omar Kočar, Przemysław Sajdak, Kacper Wołowiec, Andrzej Trubeha, Oskar Gerstenstein and Filip Jaworski.

In total, this gives us nine new faces in the team. Such a large number of transfers means that the staff will have to quickly integrate the squad and develop the appropriate formation before starting the fight for league points.

Puszcza builds a team for the long term

The contracts of both new defenders are valid until the end of June 2028. The club’s authorities do not limit themselves to short-term additions to the squad, but try to create a foundation for the next seasons.

The coming weeks will show how quickly Szabaciuk and Strajnar will find their way into Tomasz Tułacz’s system. However, their arrival increases defensive possibilities and gives the coach more options before the start of the new competition.