Maciej Doesn't Join Crew

Polish striker Zurawski has passed up a move to the Columbus Crew for $1 million transfer to Greek club Larissa [previous post on the move here]. Surely this is frustrating for Crew fans to see their club finally pony up some big money for a player only for the move to fail on the last day of the transfer window. Crew fans shouldn't be too surprised by this. Poland's coach Leo Beenhakker had made it clear to his captain Zurawski that he needed to be playing regularly in the lead up with Euro08 this summer. So they shouldn't be quite so shocked to see Zurawski move to a club in Europe, even a small one like Larissa (full name translated as Athletic Union of Larissa 1964), when they're willing to put cash for him. It's likely his main concern is getting ready for Euro08. A move to Larissa should help ensure he makes the squad. Had Zurawski moved to the Crew and had made Poland's squad, the Crew would've been missing him for 6-8 weeks. And that leads to the question if it's best to use a DP slot on player you know you're going to be missing for a couple months in the season. Did the Crew actually dodge a bit of a bullet?

Note: Everton fans may recognize another Larissa player who was with them during the Walter Smith days, Ibrahima Bakayoko.