HLADKY: I’M READY TO DO IT ALL AGAIN

Top tier is still goalie's dream

- Chris Dunlavy

SIX weeks ago, Vaclav Hladky was dreaming of facing Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and the rest of Liverpool’s superstars in a Premier League curtain-raiser at Portman Road.

A permanent fixture in the Ipswich side that completed a fairytale rise from League One to the top-flight last season, it was roundly assumed that negotiations over a new contract would be a formality.

But they weren’t. May ticked into June. Pre-season loomed. Then, on the first day of July, the bombshell dropped.

Hladky, a fan favourite whose ball-playing qualities proved so integral to Kieran McKenna’s short-passing style, had rejected the Tractor Boys’ final offer.

“It was a painful decision, obviously,” admits the 33-year-old, who joined Burnley a fortnight later having shunned several clubs in his native Czechia.

“For me personally. Also for my family and friends. They all expected me to be playing in the Premier League. They were so excited about coming to games and watching me on TV.

“But things didn’t work well for me. I had some long, long conversations with the club and the manager. Tough conversations. I talked a lot with my family and the people I trust.

“It was hard, you know? The Premier League… that is where everybody wants to be. It is a dream to play there. For me also. But in the end I made a decision with a clear head and I was happy.”

Happy

The precise motivation behind that decision remains unclear, but considering Hladky arrived at Portman Road in 2021 via St Mirren and Salford, he is unlikely to harbour the sort of nest egg that would guarantee a comfortable retirement.

If Hladky sought a life-changing contract in the twilight of his career, nobody could be grudge him, and Ipswich fans certainly didn’t.