Dragowski’s hurt and everything sucks

Bartlomiej Dragowski is a pretty big deal. He’s considered one of the most talented young goalkeepers in the world, a surefire prospect noted for his confidence, shot-stopping, and physical stature. After spending two very impressive seasons at Jagiellonia Bialystok as the starter, he moved to Florence this past year for about €3 million, which felt (and still feels) like a steal. While we didn’t expect him to dethrone Viola and Romania number one Ciprian Tatarusanu right away—c’mon, Drago’s just 20 years old—he seemed like a perfect candidate for minutes in the Europa League and the Coppa Italia.

It’s gone a bit sour since then, though. The Polish U21 custodian hasn’t passed up Tata, true, but when Paulo Sousa opted to rest the Romanian, it was Luca Lezzerini who got a chance between the posts against PAOK. We all know how that worked out, though, and it seemed like Bart was building some momentum and may even have seized primary backup duties, which would probably have included a chance in the Coppa.

Instead, he’s injured his knee in training this week. We’re still waiting for the results of the tests, but the fear is he could miss the remainder of the season. With Lezzerini set to depart on loan, this could leave the Viola very thin at goalkeeper, although Primavera starlet Giacomo Satalino may be ready to step up. However, the rumor was that Satalino would be loaned out to compete for starter’s minutes at Chievo Verona; as it stands, he’ll sit on the bench in Florence instead, which is a shame.

Perhaps Corvino will look for a veteran cheap veteran backup now, but what we’re really worried about is Dragowski. He’s been a model of professionalism, repeating over and over that he’s happy to be learning but still wants a shot with the big boys, and thus won’t be leaving Florence. The maturity to recognize the situation he’s in, combined with the patience to ride the bench after spending 2 years as a top-flight clubs starter, makes him seem like an even better prospect.

So get well soon, Bart. We hope it’s not too serious, and that you’ll be back competing for the number one job next year.