ANDY WALKER, STAFF WRITER
Birmingham City have handed reserve goalkeeper Artur Krysiak a new contract only seven weeks after the Poland U19 international publicly criticised the club for a lack of clarity over his future.
The Blues announced yesterday that 19-year-old Krysiak had signed a new one-year deal with further year’s option.
Either Krysiak is impatient or Birmingham decided to perform a U-turn, because the teenager’s comments earlier in the summer suggested that the working relationship was over.
The goalkeeper had become something of a serial loanee, following temporary stints with Gretna, York City, Swansea City and Motherwell, having failed to break into Birmingham’s first-team.
Shortly after the Birmimgham Academy product had appeared to become a free agent after his original three-year contract expired, Lodz-born Krysiak went public with his annoyance at being released following promotion to the Premier League.
Speaking towards the end of May, Krysiak said: “The manager told my agent half way through the season that I did not have to worry about finding a new club, that Birmingham were happy with my progress as a young keeper and that I had a future there.
“With that in mind, I have been waiting patiently for my new contract and planning to go out on loan for another few months to keep getting first team experience.
“As far as I was concerned the new contract was never dependent on what league the club was in.
“I even went to Motherwell because that is where the club wanted me to go when I could have stayed at Swansea.
“I just wish Birmingham could have been more clear about their plans.”
Having been retained, Krysiak will now provide back-up to Birmingham’s new loan signing Joe Hart and Maik Taylor as manager Alex McLeish has already admitted that he is looking to loan third-choice goalkeeper Colin Doyle out to a Championship club.
