Barnsley have confirmed the signing of highly coveted former Woking defender Kacper Łopata as their first bit of business this transfer window over on the Tykes official club website.
The 21-year-old Polish defender joins Oakwell after an impressive spell with Woking, Łopata making a handful of appearances here and there for the Cards as Darren Sarll’s men finished within the playoff mix in the National League.
Now, it’s a return to South Yorkshire for the Polish youngster in the form of Michael Duff’s Tykes – Łopata previously on the books at Barnsley’s near neighbours Sheffield United.
This is unlikely to be Barnsley’s only signing of the summer transfer window, Michael Duff and co looking at ways to add to the Tykes side to go one better than their Playoff Final defeat at Wembley and seal promotion back up to the Championship next campaign.
Who Is Kacper Łopata?
The 21-year-old defender started his career down on the East Sussex coast with Brighton and Hove Albion, coming through the youth set-up at the Seagulls after spells also at youth level with Bristol City and Southampton prior.
He would, however, never make a first team appearance for Brighton. He would start to make an impression when loaned away from Albion though, impressing at non-league Whitehawk and in his native Poland with Zagłębie Sosnowiec.
A move to Sheffield United presented Łopata with an opportunity to put his Brighton rejection behind him, but again, the Polish defender failed to make waves and departed the Blades without ever being given a real opportunity.
Woking began to take a keen interest in the 21-year-old after he stood out at Southend United, Southend powerless to keep their starlet at Roots Hall owing to wage issues.
Łopata will hope that Barnsley will offer him a place to further his craft, and with the likes of Mads Andersen and Liam Kitching pivotal players at Oakwell as centre backs, he will learn so much that can improve his overall game making the leap from non-league.
Learning From Luca Connell
Barnsley are more than prepared to give youngsters a chance in the first team fold, showcased by Luca Connell’s starring role for the Tykes last campaign through the centre of the park.
The central midfielder – who is only still 22 years of age – was crucial last campaign as Barnsley put their bottom of the league Championship finish firmly behind them in reaching the League One Playoff Final.
Connell did miss a golden opportunity at Wembley in that very Final, but the fact he has been heralded as a future ‘captain somewhere along the line’ by Tykes boss Michael Duff is a glowing assessment of the young midfielder.
This will be encouraging for the likes of Łopata when transitioning to the standard required at League One level, the fact Barnsley do give young talent a chance.
What Has Been Said?
Kacper Łopata spoke to Barnsley’s official club website after the deal to bring him to Oakwell was finally announced, the young defender keen to develop his game under the guidance of Michael Duff.
He said: “It’s a great club to invest my future in. It’s got a great history of developing players and I thought I could do just that here.”
Tykes CEO Khaled El-Ahmad also commented on the potential of their new Polish recruit, potential he hopes is realised at Oakwell in the years to come.
He said: “We are pleased to be able to have signed Kacper on a long-term deal. He is a young player whose development we look forward to seeing at Oakwell.”
Writer’s View
Watching Notts County vs Woking last season, Łopata did stand out at the back on the day especially considering he had to keep tabs on free-scoring Macaulay Langstaff all afternoon.
The potential was evident just from those 90 minutes alone, the young defender certainly has a bright future in the game.
It will obviously be a tough transition to immediately hit the ground running at League One level, but with Andersen and Kitching present at the club alongside the fact Michael Duff as a player was a titan in defence, it’s a great move for the 21-year-old to hopefully realise his full potential and become a starring EFL defender sometime down the line.
