Transfer Rumors: Orlando City Linked with Polish Striker Lukasz Gikiewicz

According to EuroSport, Orlando City has shown interest in 27-year-old Polish striker Lukasz Gikiewicz, who recently had a falling out with manager Stojczo Stojewem at Bulgarian club PFC Levski Sofia. The 6-foot-2 native of Olsztyn, Poland has played senior club football since the 2004-05 season with teams in Poland, Cyprus and Bulgaria. He has also been linked with the Philadelphia Union. EuroSport apparently took their report from this story by Kristan Heneage from AllSports News.

Apropos of nothing, Gikiewicz’s twin brother Rafal is a goalkeeper with Eintracht Braunschweig.

According to Soccerway.com, Gikiewicz has never played in more than 23 matches in a season and has never started more than 19. His best career stint was a three-year spell with Polish side Śląsk Wrocław, where he made 66 appearances from 2010-13, scoring eight goals. His best individual season was a nine-goal campaign in 2009-10 at ŁKS Łódź.

Last year with Levski Sofia, he scored two goals in just six appearances. Gikiewicz has experience in some of the world’s biggest competitions, playing a combined 11 matches in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League play.

While depth at striker is certainly a need, it would be an unusual signing for Orlando City, which has not shown a lot of interest in that part of Europe to date — or any part of Europe outside of England, honestly. Much of City’s interest in player acquisition thus far has come from Central and South America and England. Oh, and Mexico in the case of a certain striker who just broke his collarbone.

I’m skeptical of any player who has appeared for five different teams over the last three seasons. It makes me question either their quality or their ability to settle in and integrate to the team. Since the 2012-13 season, Gikiewicz has played with Śląsk Wrocław (Poland), Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus), FC Tobol (Russia), AEL Limassol (Cyprus), and Levski Sofia (Bulgaria).

However, if the club could land a quality backup forward without breaking the bank, the move could make sense. Because it’s an area of need and a potentially inexpensive mid-season solution, I’ll put the chances of this one at about 25-30% of having legs.

What do you think? Before you answer, here are some of his highlights: