BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
HEARTS have completed their third summer signing with the arrival of Polish defender Rafal Grzelak.
The 28-year-old has joined the Jambos on a two-year deal after leaving Ekstraklasa outfit Korona Kielce, where he has plied his trade for last two seasons and made 60 appearances.
He follows new club captain Christophe Berra and Liverpudlian striker Cole Stockton to Tynecastle as head coach Ian Cathro rebuilds his squad ahead of the new campaign.
Grzelak said: “It’s important that this club will be my home and I’m really excited to be here.
“I’ve had a really good impression from everybody that I’ve met here so far, and I’ve been told that the fans are fantastic.
“I am very happy to be here – it’s a club that has big ambitions and I can’t wait for the start of the season.”
Grzelak, who has been utilised in midfield regularly in the past, has also turned out for Wisla Plock, Dolcan Zabci and Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala during a career spent entirely in his homeland.
And he insists he is finally ready for an adventure abroad.
He continued: “I’ve always wanted to go and play in another country, but I didn’t want to go abroad just for the sake of it. I wanted to go and play for a good club. When I knew that I could come here then I was very happy to come.”
For a Hearts side criticised last term for a perceived lack of physicality and fight, Grzelak is adamant he arrives on these shores ready to add some steel to the Jambos’ ranks.
He told heartsfc.co.uk: “My good features are that I am a strong player, who likes to tackle, and I prepare myself well for the physical side of the game, but I am also very calm on the ball.”
