Polish club Wisła Plock have announced the signing of Dubliner Jakub Basiński from Bray Wanderers on an 18-month deal.
The 17-year-old, who played schoolboy football with Belvedere and St Kevin’s Boys before joining Bray’s under-17s, has been training with Wisła on and off for the past few months.
He has been picked up on a deal until the summer of 2023 with the option of an extra year on expiry of the deal.
Ekstraklasa side Wisła have made Polish-born Basiński the second signing as part of their Back to the Roots programme.
Back to the Roots aims to give young Polish footballers abroad and players of Polish extraction the opportunity to trial with the club and play in Poland.
22 players of Polish extraction travelled to Plock from 14 countries last summer for a training camp and Basinski impressed enough to earn a permanent contract.
The teenager will link up with Wisla Plock II, the club’s reserve side, and will aim to force his way into Marek Brzozowski’s first team.
Basiński, who was born in the Polish city of Częstochowa before moving with his parents to Ireland at the age of two, played in the under-19 National League with the Seagulls in 2021.
‘Kuba’ played underage football with Shelbourne, Belvo and Bohemians/St Kevin’s Boys before making the move to Bray in 2020.
He was part of a training camp for the Poland under-15s in Wałbrzych in 2019 and will have an opportunity to press his case for international honours closer to home.
“Work on this transfer took a very long time, but the most important thing is that we have a happy end,” said Arkaduisz Stelmach, the co-ordinator for the Back to the Roots project.
“Kuba is a forward-looking striker whose greatest strengths are playing with his head or moving without the ball.
“For his age he is very strong and fast - he has ‘dynamite’ in his legs. I am hopeful for him because in addition to his talent he also has a great work ethic.”
