Charlotte FC close to adding another Polish player with DP-potential
As Charlotte FC prepares for its first Major League Soccer home match at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night, the expansion club is aiming to soon sign another attacking player. Charlotte FC is close to finalizing a deal to add Polish winger Kamil Jóźwiak to its roster, a source familiar with the situation told The Observer.
MLS.com reported that Jóźwiak is planning to attend Charlotte FC’s first home match, which is expected to break a league attendance record, and that his medical evaluation was underway Saturday afternoon.
Figures for the transfer fee have not been disclosed, but Jóźwiak, 23, is likely to sign as a Designated Player, a league roster label indicating that a player’s salary and transfer fee exceed the league’s Maximum Salary Budget charge ($612,500 this year). Each team is able to add up to three Designated Players (or DPs) and is responsible for paying the amount of compensation above that player’s salart budget.
Fellow Polish national team forward Karol Świderski became Charlotte’s first DP in January in a deal worth around $5 million. Świderski is expected to be available to play Saturday after the unfinished visa process prevented him from playing in Charlotte’s first-ever match against D.C. United in Washington, D.C. last weekend. The team relied instead on midfielder Titi Ortíz playing as forward, while recently signed former Nashville SC forward Daniel Ríos also saw minutes at the end of the match.
Jóźwiak’s move appears imminent barring any last-minute setbacks, which occurred in the case of Venezuelan winger Darwin Machís. Charlotte FC had a deal lined up with Machís, reportedly worth around $6 million, but the club became aware of an unresolved legal issue involving Machís and his alleged participation in a bar fight in Spain. The deal was called off before his transfer was finalized, and after Machís had already flown into Charlotte.
Charlotte FC expressed prior interest in Jóźwiak, who comes from EFL Championship club Derby County led by Wayne Rooney. Jóźwiak suffered an ankle injury while in earlier talks with Charlotte, which is still looking to fortify its attacking line. Roster evaluation and additional moves will likely come in the summer transfer window, which opens in July.
The league’s primary transfer window closes May 4, meaning Jóźwiak could soon start playing with Charlotte once his paperwork is complete. Jóźwiak has three goals in 22 appearances with the senior Polish national team since making his debut with the squad in 2019. He is a native of Międzyrzecz, Poland.
