Mateusz Musialowski is now playing his football in Cyprus, after being released by Liverpool, with another of his suitors blaming his “attitude” for a failed move.
Musialowski left Anfield this summer after just one appearance for the first team, with an abundance of promise shown during his four years at the club but with little return.
The 20-year-old has now been confirmed as the latest signing for Cypriot First Division side Omonia Nicosia, agreeing a three-year contract.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to play first-team football regularly,” he explained upon his arrival on Monday.
“So it would be a big step for me in my career, that’s why I pushed myself to do it. I liked the offer and the whole project.”
It is certainly a surprising move for a player who previously attracted offers from the likes of Birmingham in the Championship and TSV Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga.
But joining Omonia does offer Musalowski a chance to start at senior level – and potentially play European football, as they are in the qualifying stages of the Europa Conference League.
His move to Cyprus has brought criticism from his native Poland, however, namely from the sporting director of Ekstraklasa champions Jagiellonia Bialystok.
Jagiellonia won the Polish top flight for the first time in their history in 2023/24 – and could have done so with Musialowski in their squad.
They failed in their attempt to sign the young forward during the January transfer window, and sporting director Lukasz Maslowski has told Meczyki they did not pursue a free transfer this summer as “we knew the player’s attitude.”
“We wanted Musialowski, but in the winter,” Maslowski said.
“We didn’t raise this issue in this transfer window because we knew the player’s attitude.
“At some point I had the feeling that we cared more than Musialowski.
“Now we are in a different place and I think Mateusz should appreciate more the fact that the Polish champion had an idea for him.”
He added: “In the context of the first ideas of the club that Musialowski wanted to join, it is not consistent with Omonia.
“However, I think that this league suits him, but I cannot imagine that this is his final direction.”
There has long been a sense that Musialowski’s ambitions were ahead of schedule in terms of his development, and that may have led to his departure from Liverpool.
His move to Cyprus has certainly raised eyebrows, but he can now at least look to establish himself as a senior player – before likely making another step up, as Maslowski expects.
