Michał Gurgul
Country: Poland
Date of birth: 30/01/2006 (17 years old)
Place of birth: Poland
Height: 181cm
Youth career: Akademia Piłkarska Reissa, Lech Poznań (since 2017)
Current club: Lech Poznań
Squad number: 15
Current national team: Poland U-18
Position: central defender, left-back
Preferred foot: left
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): 600.000 €
Tournaments participated in: Syrenka Cup 2022 (2/0), 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification elite round (1/0), 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (5/0), UEFA Youth League 2023/2024 (1/0)
Contract until: 30.06.2026
Player’s agent: unknown
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Mario Hermoso
Strengths:
– passing 
– anticipation
– positioning
– composure
– ability to read the game
– pace 
– technique
To improve:
– quite a lightweight player with an average body mass ratio for a centre-back/needs to work hard on his physicality
Style of play:
– complete and elegant centre-back
– perfect option to play as a left-sided centre-back in a three-man defence system
– can also cover the left-back position with ease and effectiveness
– decent top speed, coordination, and agility
– very interesting combination of pure defensive skills and ball-playing ability
– perfect for the possession-based style
– able to play in a high-line
– elegant and very comfortable on the ball with an above-average range of passing at all distances/takes a major impact on all of the team’s build-up process
– very good range of passing at all distances
– known for his good confidence in possession, understanding of the game, and an above-average technical capacity
– often leaves the line and makes good interceptions thanks to his anticipation and ability to read the game
– very good composure and retention skills under pressure
– likes to spread play with long-range diagonals
– often makes good blocks, cuts or intercepts passes and crosses near or inside his penalty area thanks to his positioning and concentration
– determined and committed player with a very good rate of individual and collective work
– tactically astute and technically capable of playing in various tactical systems
– not the tallest or aerially dominant, but he’s quite strong in the air thanks to his timing and jumping technique
– intelligent defender, who knows how to make smart tactical fouls without getting booked
– very accomplished and mature for his age/he seems to be a quiet but very determined player
– although it’s still an improvable element of his game, he does not hesitate to use and operates quite comfortably with his weaker right foot
– decent shooting skills with his left foot from open play and dead balls
Gurgul positions himself well and makes and important block.
Gurgul leaves the line, anticipates the play very well, and stops a counter-attack with a superb interception.
Gurgul stays calm under pressure and plays a very good line-breaking pass to midfied.
Heatmap by Wyscout:
He is best suited to playing as:
Central defender in 3-5-2.
Video:
Achievements:
Polish U-15 Championship 2020/2021 runner-up with Lech.
Polish U-19 Championship 2022/2023 winner with Lech.
League summary (as for 19 October 2023):
2 Liga 2022/2023: 7 games/0 goals (Lech II)
Ekstraklasa 2022/2023: 3 games/0 goals (Lech)
2 Liga 2023/2024 (ongoing): 3 games/0 goals (Lech II)
Ekstraklasa 2023/2024 (ongoing): 5 games/1 goal (Lech)
Description:
Michał Gurgul joined the Lech Poznań youth academy from Akademia Piłkarska Reissa in 2017. He made his first-team debut for Lech on 12 March 2023 in a league fixture against Piast Gliwice. He is also one of the leaders of an interesting generation of Polish U17s which includes, among others Karol Borys, Jan Faberski, Krzysztof Kolanko, Miłosz Piekutowski, Filip Wolski, Dominik Szala, Szymon Kądziołka, Daniel Mikołajewski, Patryk Olejnik, Igor Orlikowski, Filip Rejczyk, Jakub Krzyżanowski, Maksymilian Sznaucner, Mike Huras, Oskar Tomczyk, Igor Brzyski, and Mateusz Skoczylas. In 2023, Michał was an important member of the Polish team at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Hungary, where young Poles made it to the semi-final.
Quotes:
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Football Talent Scout potential rating:
First team material in a top European league.
Links: