3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu believes Derby County’s hard work and persistence has been rewarded with the signing of Poland international winger Kamil Jozwiak.
The 22-year-old joined Derby on Wednesday from Lech Poznan after an undisclosed fee was agreed for his services.
Jozwiak has penned a four-year deal with the Rams and is a player that has been on Cocu’s radar for some time.
Derby displayed interest in the pacey wideman midway through last season and remained a key target for several months.
A large amount of hard work took place behind the scenes in order to bring the winger to the club, with the Rams having to display plenty of patience in order to get the deal over the line.
After making the move to Pride Park Stadium, he could make his debut on Saturday’s away game at Luton Town (3pm kick-off) after quickly settling into life with his new team-mates.
Speaking to RamsTV, Cocu said: “Kamil was in on Wednesday for a session with a small group after a few days off and today (Thursday) he participated in a team session.
“That is always the best way to settle in and get to know your team-mates. Krystian Bielik (friend and fellow Polish international) has taken good care of him, he knows him and it makes it a little bit easier for him to join the team.
“We are very happy for him to finally arrive. I have spoken about it on a few occasions that we tried to push for him in December last season.
“It didn’t work at the time, but we kept pushing, checking his games and maintaining the contact. I think then also you create a certain feeling with the player that he is convinced that we really want him. It worked out and I think it is a great signing; the hard work paid off.”
Jozwiak has three caps at senior level for Poland to his name and featured in their Nations League matches against Holland and Boznia & Herzegovina earlier this month.
Cocu is of the opinion that having players with international experience can only be a positive for Derby moving forward.
He said: “Kamil is 22, he has a lot of potential, he is quick, comfortable on the ball and can play on both wings.
“He plays for the national team and that is always good for any club to have international players.”
