Bogdan Vastsuk joins Bit O’ Red from Stal Mielec

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the permanent transfer of attacking midfielder Bogdan Vastsuk from Stal Mielec in The Poland Ekstraklasa, the top tier in Poland, on a two-year deal with an option of a third year which could see the current Estonian International at The Showgrounds until at least the end of the 2025 SSE Airtricity League of Ireland season. The deal is subject to International clearance.

The 27-year-old joined Reading in England in 2015 before moving to Latvian side Riga. Bastsuk returned to his native Estonia to play with Levadia Tallinn, where he played with Rovers’ winger Frank Liivak in the Estonian Premier Division from 2019 to 2022 before a transfer to Stal Mielec in the Polish top-tier.

The highly rated attacker has been capped 11 times for the Estonian national team where he also has a number of caps at underage level.

Bit O’ Red Manager John Russell is a keen admirer of Vastsuk:

‘’Bogdan is a player I’ve been tracking for some-time and I’m delighted we’ve managed to bring him to the club.

‘’He is a current Estonian International, he is an attacking midfielder who is very creative and he is exactly the type of player we need.

‘’Bogdan is physically strong, has a great ability to go past players, can score goals and has a real willingness to work hard for the team.

‘’He comes to us at a great stage in his career and I know he is looking forward to this new challenge in Ireland.

‘’I think our supporters will enjoy watching him play’’.

Bastsuk arrived in Sligo today and joins his Bit O’ Red team-mates for the first time as pre-season training began ahead of the 2023 SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division season, which starts with a home tie against Shamrock Rovers on February 18th at The Showgrounds.

This match will be an all-ticket affair with ticket details to be announced in the coming days before they go on sale at The Showgrounds in the coming fortnight.

Our new signing had this message for sligorovers.com today:

‘’I’m very happy to join this great club.

‘’I am looking forward to seeing all the fans at the stadium soon. I have heard a lot about it.

‘’I’ve watched some games from last season and, I see the quality in the team and, I think we can go far this season.

‘’The club has shown me project here and I spoke with the manager and his staff and, I see the club with high ambitions so, I’m very happy to join the team and I will give 100% each game to help the team.

Season Tickets remain on sale with over 700 sold to date, with a record figure expected come the start of the new season.

The easiest way to secure your 2023 season ticket is online at www.srfcdirect.com