The former Rangers player made just one first team appearance at Ibrox.
When Rangers secured their ‘biggest signing since Gazza,’ in the shape of Aaron Ramsey on deadline day in 2022 on loan from Italian giants Juventus, there were many who felt Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first transfer window as Ibrox head coach was one that would go down in the history books.
Parachuted into Govan mere weeks after the loan arrivals of the highly-rated duo of Amad Diallo and James Sands, he was heralded as the final piece of the Rangers jigsaw that could propel them to their second successive Scottish Premiership title win - and maybe even a Europa League final?
Winner of a Serie A title two seasons previous, his CV also included three FA Cup wins with Arsenal, amongst a host of personal accolades. Ramsey and the aforementioned duo of Amad and Sands would appear about as frequently as the sun did in Glasgow during those cold winter months, though.
There was a feeling of inevitability when it was Ramsey who missed the vital spot kick in the Europa League final penalty shootout defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. In the case of the Welsh midfielder, fate had dealt him and his Gers teammates a cruel hand. Many of the finer details of that particular season are easily recollected, but when trying to recall the club’s January business, few will mention the name of Mateusz Zukowski. Remember him? Don’t worry. You’d be forgiven if you don’t.
Rangers signings during the January transfer window of 2022 went down in the history books, but for all the wrong reasons.placeholder image
Rangers signings during the January transfer window of 2022 went down in the history books, but for all the wrong reasons. | SNS Group
Signed for a fee of £500,000 from Polish outfit Lechia Gdansk just days before the January window slammed shut, the then 20-year-old defender was described as a ‘quality’ option that had his best years ahead of him. Strong cover for captain James Tavernier, he was pencilled in to take the place of highly-rated academy graduate Nathan Patterson, who had been sold to Everton for a reported fee of £11million just days earlier.
“As part of our transfer strategy this window we wanted to recruit a young, right full-back who we see high potential in to further develop,” proclaimed sporting director Ross Wilson upon his arrival. “Mateusz absolutely fits the profile that we were looking for in the market and we are all looking forward to working with him. He is a determined character and I know how excited he is to come here.”
Despite the praise lavished upon him by the club’s hierarchy, the young right-back soon became a forgotten man in Govan. Signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club upon his arrival, Zukowski would make just one appearance for the club, lasting just 18 months at Rangers before returning home to the Polish top tier with Slask Wroclaw, and few had heard of him since - until now.
A mainstay in the Slask Wroclaw defence, he was snapped up by struggling 2. Bundesliga side Magdeburg just days before the summer transfer deadline shut back in September. Rock bottom of the table, with just two wins from their opening 12 league games, his new side looked on course to plummet into the third tier of German football without so much as a whimper before he had even had the chance to make his debut for the club.
Having established themselves in the second tier following their 3. Liga title-winning season in 2022, Der Blau were staring down the barrel just months into the new season until they were handed the most unexpected of lifelines when head coach Petrik Sander unlocked Zukowski’s hidden talent.
Outscoring Ibrox trio after shock position change
Impressing on the right-hand side of a front three in their 2-1 defeat against Fortuna Dusseldorf in late-October, the Polish defender was handed a shock central striker berth in their “must not lose” home clash with Nurnberg, having impressed his manager with “excellent finishing skills” in training. Largely deployed as a right-back or wing-back during the early part of his career, he immediately repaid the manager’s faith by bagging a late brace in a thumping 3-0 win over Nurnberg - a performance which was described as a "lifeline" for the team.
Far from a one-hit wonder, Zukowski's shift to striker has resulted in the club taking on a revolution of sorts, with the 24-year-old defender-cum-forward contributing a gobsmacking 11 league goals in as many games. A tally which matches the combined total of league goals scored by summer signings Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski, and three more than the £4.8million deadline day signing Ryan Naderi managed in the division below for Hansa Rostock in seven fewer games. A barely believable statistic when read out loud.
Zukowski struggled for game time following his move to Rangers.placeholder image
Zukowski struggled for game time following his move to Rangers. | SNS Group
Wins over Hertha Berlin and Kaiserslautern followed, before the former Rangers flop bagged his first career hat-trick in a 5-4 win over Greuther Furth earlier this month. Despite suffering a 5-3 defeat against league leaders Schalke at the weekend, he once again scored a brace and added an assist for good measure. “He is incredibly important to us,” said Magdeburg boss Sander. “He brings a power and dynamism that the team had completely lacked.”
Currently occupying the second relegation spot on goal difference, demotion remains very much a possibility at the Avnet Arena. However, in a city that honoured its founding father and former medieval ruler Otto the Great with a full-sized freestanding equestrian statue, the Polish star could be due a reward of his own if the new found goal-getter becomes the most unlikely of heroes and fires them to safety.
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While Rangers flops such as Kevin Mbabu, Cedric Itten, and Umar Sadiq found success away from Ibrox, the name Mateusz Zukowski can now be added to the list. While few will mirror the remarkable pathway that he has over the past few months, it is perhaps another example of the fine margins with which players can rise or fall under the expectations at one of Glasgow’s big two.