The negotiations lasted a long time, and finally took a rapid turn. On Thursday morning, Václav Jemelka completed a training session at Hané, then got into his car and headed to the west of Bohemia, where he signed a three-year contract. The national team defender thus became the definitive reinforcement of Viktoria Plzeň.
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“Vašek is a very experienced player who is a member of the national team and has also played abroad. It’s no secret that we’ve been looking for his services for a long time and I’m glad that everything has now been concluded and we can count on him for the upcoming matches, when, in addition to the league, we also have a fight for the Champions League,” says the CEO on the club’s website Adolf Sadek.
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Of course, coach Michal Bílek also welcomes the arrival of the new reinforcement. “He is a left-footed stopper who is solid in duels, he is a great fighter, and he also has quality passing. In addition to the position of stopper, he can also alternate on the edge of defense,” he points to the address of Václav Jemelka, who will immediately join the team’s preparation and will be available for Saturday’s league duel with Hradec Králové.
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Editing of the return match of the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League Pilsen – TiraspolVideo: O2 TV Sport
According to behind-the-scenes information, Sigma valued Jemelka at one million euros (24.5 million crowns).
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“I really wanted the transfer. I felt that I already needed a change. But I don’t let go easily. I’ve been at Sigma for a long time and now I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I am very happy, on the other hand I feel that one stage is ending. I thank Sigma for everything, that I could enter big football here, that I played cups here. It’s just a shame we weren’t in them more. I would also like to thank the management for making the transfer possible, the negotiations were certainly not easy,” Jemelka says goodbye to Olomouc.
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“We and Pilsen had our own ideas. In the end, however, we came to an agreement in such a way that all parties were satisfied. Recently, I felt from Vašek that he has nothing but thoughts of leaving in his head,” says Ladislav Minář, Sigma’s sports director.
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“Viktorka had a long-term interest in the player, we greatly appreciate that she persevered and now everything has been implemented. Vaško will definitely benefit from the change and will do everything to help the club both domestically and on the European stage,” explains Roman Brulík from the RBR SportConsult agency, which represents the player.
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Jemelka has 112 starts in the top Czech competition, in which he scored 7 goals. During his loan spell in Belgium, he played 22 league matches in the competition there and made 5 starts for the Czech national team, most recently in the League of Nations against Portugal and Spain.
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One is not enough, they signed two!
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While it was known about Jemelek for a long time, Viktoria surprised with another reinforcement. The 24-year-old winger Erik Jirka, who comes as a free agent, signed a three-year contract. The Trnava native has two championship titles to his credit, which he won in the 2017/18 season with Spartak in Slovakia and in the 2018/19 season with Crvena Zvezda Belgrade in Serbia. The Slovakian international has also played in Poland’s Gornik Zabrze and Spanish clubs Mirandes and Real Oviedo.
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“He is a speedy type of winger who fits our style of play perfectly. In addition, Erik should not have a problem adapting to the new environment, so he should quickly fit into our cabin,” said Bílek, who represents the reinforcement.
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Jirka is one of the pillars of the Slovak national team. “Given the fact that we have a challenging autumn ahead of us, we decided to strengthen our team with another very high-quality player, which the Slovakian representative is without a doubt. We also got good references about the player from our assistant coach Marek Bakoš, who met him as a player during of his engagement in Trnava,” adds Šádek.
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“Of course, I am very much looking forward to Pilsen. When the agent told me, I was so excited. Fighting for the Champions League is a huge motivation for me, as it is for all the players in Pilsen. I am ready to intervene in matches and help the team. I will do everything I can for that,” Jirka is looking forward to.
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According to transfermarkt.com, Jirka has a market price of 800,000 euros. During the last season in Oviedo, he scored one goal in 20 competitive matches and terminated his contract with the club after only one year. He played seven times for the Slovak national team and scored once.
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