Who is Olaf Kobacki? Sheffield Wednesday's latest new signing | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at Olaf Kobacki's career so far and his route to Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday confirmed the signing of Polish winger Olaf Kobacki on Wednesday morning, bringing the attacker into the club for an undisclosed fee from Arka Gdynia, who play in the second tier of Polis footballer.

The Owls are reported to have beaten Championship rivals Derby County and Norwich City to his signature, who are both believed to have previously submitted bids for the winger.

This signing marks a positive start to the window for Wednesday, who have added some promising additions in the likes of Jamal Lowe and Yan Valery already.

Kobacki will be hoping to light up the Championship next season then, and at Football League World we have decided to take a look at the 22-year-old's route to Hillsborough.

Olaf Kobacki's early career in Italy

For the majority of his childhood, Kobacki was a youth prospect for Lech Poznan, but in 2017 he made a dream move to Atalanta in Italy at the age of just 16.

It must have been a daunting prospect for Kobacki at the time, but his hopes were that he could prove himself on a bigger stage.

Despite scoring 15 and assisting five in 52 games for La Dea's youth sides, he was never afforded an opportunity in the first team, so in 2021 he made the loan move back to his home nation with Arka Gdynia.

This loan move was a relatively successful one, and he was rewarded with a permanent move to Gdynia after he provided ten goal contributions in 26 I Liga - Poland's second tier - games.

Ultimately, Kobacki would have had hopes of proving himself at Atalanta, but the chance to play regular football was something that was needed at this stage of his career.

Olaf Kobacki has flourished since his return to Poland

After making a permanent move back to his home country, the winger spent the 2022-23 season on loan in the Polish top division with Miedz Legnica.

Having been promoted the previous year, Legnica did not fare well in the division above, as they finished bottom of the Ekstraklasa with a minimal 23 points.

The youngster didn't feature heavily either as, despite making 25 appearances, he only accrued 1,276 minutes in the league, scoring just one goal in that time.

Last season, though, his career really kicked into gear and his exploits back at his parent club deservedly earned him a move to Sheffield Wednesday. In 32 games, the winger managed 13 goals and five assists in the league as he featured predominantly cutting in off the left-wing.

Unfortunately, Kobacki's time in Poland came to a sad end as, despite scoring the opener in the play-off final, their opponents, Motor Lublin, were able to net two late goals to deny them a place in the top flight.

Olaf Kobacki can play a huge part for Danny Röhl at Sheffield Wednesday

If Kobacki is in any way able to match the performances he put in last season, then Röhl will be delighted with the acquisition.

A very direct winger who likes to drift in and find pockets of space, his wand of a right foot should get Owls fans off their feet multiple times this season.

Of course, it may take the 22-year-old some time to settle in, so pressure should not be applied to him too early. But if Röhl nurtures him well, then we could see the tricky winger become a firm part of Wednesday for years to come.