Adam Przybek is back in the UK after a whirlwind six months. When he agreed to join Polish side Stal Stalowa Wola back in July 2023, he didn’t expect to be back so soon. But now as he considers his options for his next club, he can reflect on a unforgettable first half of the season.
Born and raised in the Midlands, Przybek has both Polish and Welsh heritage in his family and that is reflected in his career so far, having represented Wales up to under-21 level and chosen Poland as his first foray outside of English football.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper’s education was spent with West Bromwich Albion. He was there over a decade, twelve years to be precise, honing his craft as a promising young shotstopper. Before representing Wales, he had also played for England at under-16 level, appearing alongside the likes of future English abroad Danny Loader, Angel Gomes and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
After 12 years with the Baggies, he spent time with Ipswich Town and Wycombe Wanderers before last season appearing for League Two sides Walsall and Stevenage.
When his short-term deal with The Boro expired back in the summer, he decided to head abroad for the first time and join Polish third-tier side Stal Stalowa Wola, based in the south east of the country. With a population under 60,000, Stalowa Wola is dwarfed by the likes of Warsaw and Kraków but the town’s main club were coming off the back of an impressive season which had seen them earn promotion. The club had appeared in the top-flight as recently as 1995.
During his time in Poland, Przybek experienced balmy summers and sub-zero winters. He served as the club’s number two goalkeeper, appearing on the bench 17 times in the league and playing twice in the Polish Cup, conceding just one goal.
I caught up with Adam as he prepares for the second half of the season with a new club to find out more about his time in Poland and his career so far.
English Players Abroad: Growing up with a mixture of Welsh and Polish heritage in your family, was playing in Poland always a goal of yours?
Adam Przybek: I’d probably say from about 16 I started to think about playing abroad. Not necessarily Poland but in a different country with a different lifestyle and culture, after being in a British academy system since the age of 7. Poland became more realistic when I got citizenship only last year. It became a goal then because I see a lot of young Polish goalies of a good level and wanted to get a taste of that myself.
EPA: What was it like playing for Wales at youth level despite being born and raised in England, did you feel like much of an outsider?
AP: Playing for Wales was a real honour and allowed me to experience international football from a young age. All the youth ages were real tight knit groups, which they put big emphasis on having. I didn’t really feel like an outsider because a lot of the other lads were also born in England with Welsh ancestry. I made some of my best friends in those Wales teams and look back with only good memories.
EPA: Last summer, tell us how the move to Stal Stalowa Wola came about? What tempted you to make the move there?
AP: The move to Stalowa came about after an agent over there got in touch with me and spoke about his plans, which sounded positive. I definitely felt like the time was right to get out of the UK and experience a new challenge. Firstly, the promise from the club and agent of being number 1 was most important. Then after initially going out for a few days to see the place I liked it. The level was good and felt like the right place to take me out of my comfort zone.
EPA: How did you find settling in Poland? Had you been to visit many times before?
AP: Settling in Poland was a whirlwind, to say the least. After only visiting Kraków once before in the same summer it was certainly different. Stalowa Wola is a hardworking industrial town in the east about 100 miles from the Ukrainian border. It’s not glamorous and has a real Eastern European feel to it. I arrived with a suitcase and nothing more to my name. The first few weeks were a blur as it was all new. The first thing that shocked me were the prices. A three course meal with a few drinks would cost no more than £15-17.
The summers they have over there are unreal with it never really dropping below 25 degrees. The lads were great and within three days, I was at a BBQ with them. With the help of the other goalkeeper, I got an apartment sorted and everything slowly fell into place. All the lads were brilliant and most spoke English to some degree but I was probably closest with [former Bradford City player] Olivier Sukiennicki due to him growing up in the English academy system. He spoke perfect English and would always be there to help.
EPA: How does being a professional footballer in Poland’s third-tier compare to being a League One footballer, are the daily routines fairly similar?
AP: The daily routines are pretty similar to playing in the UK, sometimes training times differ and we’d train in the evening but it was very similar. Although over there it’s usually only one day off a week, which I found strange at the start. In the UK, I’d got used to a typical Wednesday and Sunday off, which was nice, but I noticed that a lot of the lads in Poland are physically very fit and robust. I like over there how its only usually one game a week so it doesn’t feel like you’re doing as much travelling and being away, although sometimes we’d need a few days to recover after a 10/11 hour away trip.
EPA: What was the standard like in the games you played in compared to what you were used to?
AP: The standard was very good. I’d compare the league that I was in to some League 2/National League teams. Although they try and play football quite a lot. Players are very fit so the intensity is high.
EPA: Although it may not have gone exactly how you wanted in Poland, would you still recommend a move abroad to other English players?
AP: I’d definitely recommend a move abroad to other players. It took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I started learning a new language which was fun and frustrating. The food over there is unreal.
It’s much more relaxed. After all the games lads would sit for hours in the dressing room with a beer and families would come and join. Winter was challenging, the coldest I experienced was -17. But all in all, I’d look back having grown as a person and leave with only positive memories.
EPA: What are your plans now going forward, would you like to carry on playing abroad?
After being back only a few days, I’m speaking to a few people and discussing my next opportunities. At some point I’d love to play abroad again whether that be Poland/ Europe and maybe somewhere like Asia. For now, it’s good to be back with family and speak the language. But definitely in the near future I will be looking for my next challenge!
I’d like to thank Adam for his time and wish him like with his next adventure!
English Players Abroad 