Wycombe Wanderers: Ex-outcast has been living Champions League dream - View | OneFootball

After leaving Wycombe with a controversial exit, Max Stryjek is living his dream back in his homeland.

Highlights

It was clear at the end of 2023/24 that Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper Max Stryjek’s stint in Buckinghamshire was over, as he was dropped after a red card in favour of Franco Ravizzoli.

After a loan spell at Crewe Alexandra ended in defeat at Wembley, the 27-year-old stopper is now with Polish champions, Jagiellonia Białystok, and is involved in Champions League matchday squads.

Initially signed on a two-year deal from Livingston in the summer of 2022, the Polish keeper impressed in his first season at Wycombe with his outstanding shot-stopping ability. However, his distribution was a noticeably poor part of his game, which fans quickly picked up on.

When Gareth Ainsworth departed for QPR in 2023, the Pole’s form began to fade, making it clear to new boss Matt Bloomfield that he wanted out of the club. After losing the gloves to Ravizzoli in February 2024, Stryjek wouldn’t feature again for the Chairboys and has now linked up with Jagiellonia.

Stryjek had a topsy-turvy 2023/24 which ended his Wycombe career

The shot-stopper was arguably Wycombe’s best player in 2022/23, impressing with some fine saves that helped his side almost sneak into the play-offs. However, the Pole was keen to test himself at a higher level, ultimately leading to his exile from the Wanderers squad.

Something had changed in the former Sunderland man over pre-season 2023. He seemed less motivated and a decline in his performance levels would appear to back this up.

Bloomfield had a very different style of play from the previous manager, Ainsworth. The former prefers to play out from the back rather than going long and direct like the latter. This is where Stryjek’s poor distribution skills would be exposed.

A terrible pass out from the back against Reading cost his side the game, as Femi Azeez punished the mistake. Just a month later, the Wanderers’ number one dropped an all-time howler, which would go viral among the football community.

Wycombe were holding onto a 0-0 on a cold December night away at Barnsley. Trying to run down the clock to secure a point, Stryjek had custody of the ball at his feet and slowly bent down to pick the ball up.

Tykes striker Sam Cosgrove closed down the keeper in an attempt to get the game underway quicker. He made light contact with the Wanderers stopper who’d just picked up the ball. The Pole went down like a sack of spuds, dropping the ball to the feet of Cosgrove, who tapped it home and gave Barnsley a 1-0 victory.

There was rightly outrage from disgusted Wycombe fans, who’d made the long trip to Yorkshire on a cold December evening for their goalkeeper to pull a stunt like that at the end of the game.

Despite this, Stryjek’s shot-stopping abilities were still on show. A heroic performance away at Bradford City in the EFL Trophy semi-final saw Wanderers reach Wembley, as Matt Butcher fired in a last-minute winner.

This would be the Polish sweeper’s final 90 minutes for Wycombe though, as just days later, he was given his marching orders after a poor back pass from Ryan Tafazolli allowed Jordan Roberts through on goal, who was wiped out last man by the keeper.

Loan to Crewe offered Stryjek a chance to save his season

As previously mentioned, Ravizzoli impressed whilst deputising for the absent Pole. This led to the Argentine retaining the gloves when the usual first-choice returned. This meant the man who’d arguably single-handedly got his team to Wembley missed out on playing under the arch, for the time being at least.

Crewe’s had sustained injuries to their senior goalkeepers, which meant they were entitled to sign an emergency loanee. As the 27-year-old was sitting on the bench at Wycombe, they allowed him to join the League Two promotion hopefuls.

Performing modestly, he helped Alex secure a playoff spot on the final day of the season. Facing Doncaster Rovers, it seemed that Crewe’s dream was all but over after the first leg as Donny came out 2–0 winners at Gresty Road.

The Railwaymen managed to turn the deficit around in a matter of minutes though, and the teams were inseparable after extra time. The Polish keeper would have another viral moment, as he tossed the opposing goalkeeper, Thimothee Lo-Tutala’s water bottle into the stands.

It was later revealed as a genius move by Stryjek, as the bottle contained the penalty instructions that would aid the Doncaster keeper in the event of a shootout.

For the second time that season, the Pole would be the hero to send his club to Wembley after saving a decisive penalty. Sadly, his Crewe side would lose out to Crawley Town on the day and spend another season in the fourth tier. Unsurprisingly, neither Wycombe nor Stryjek had any interest in renewing his contract, and the man from Warsaw departed the Chairboys with his deal expired.

However, there would be no shortage of options on the table for him to find a new home.

Insulting Jagellonia interview shed light on "toxic" Wycombe exit

It seemed that all respect towards his former club was lost by the new Jagellonia recruit after a bizarre and rather unprofessional interview with his new club left Wanderers fans baffled and upset.

Stryjek admitted that had Ainsworth not left the club, his time at Wycombe "would’ve been different". The former fan favourite had brought into his old manager's philosophy and motivation techniques but didn't share the same views on Bloomfield.

The ex-Wycombe sweeper claimed: "After the change in the coaching position, everything changed, also organizationally.

"Suddenly, from 20 players in the squad became 35, there was no unity anymore. On top of that, there were conflicts, misunderstandings. I slowly had enough of it, such a lack of professionalism.

"At the end of the second season it was already amateur, the club should not function like this. To this day, even though I am no longer there, I have a lot of unpleasantness from the club. As long as you play, everything is fine, but when you leave, they do a lot to make your life difficult. I don't want to get into certain things, but I think the club is not treating me fairly."

Usually, players bite their tongues when it comes to dealings with former clubs, to not burn any bridges. However, Stryjek didn't hold back on his disapproval of the club and his new manager. He also alleged that he was lied to and the club had become a toxic place, saying: "I had had enough of the lies from people operating in the club. I didn't really mean the mentality of the English, more the environment. I don't like a toxic atmosphere, and there was one. I didn't feel good there. As for the mentality of the English, they are generally very self-absorbed people who treat others with distance."

Stryjek also believed he was treated differently by the club due to his nationality, even suggesting he was seen as "cheap labour". Of course, nobody knows what went on behind closed doors other than the people involved, but, this claim seems absurd from the outside looking in, as the Pole was just one of many different nationals at Wycombe. This makes it hard to believe that he would've been singled out because of nationality, as many others have featured for the club since Bloomfield's appointment without issue.

This interview tarnished any sort of good reputation the 27-year-old had with the Chairboys and their fans. After realising the Warsaw-born keeper's attitude didn't align with what was expected at Wycombe, many fans were glad to see the back of Stryjek, as having one bad egg in the dressing room runs the risk of unsettling the whole squad.

Stryjek now living his Champions League dream

The move to Jagellonia certainly worked well for all parties involved, as the Pole had been vocal about his desire to play at a higher level. The former Wycombe man outlined that his biggest ambition was to get into the Champions League and he had the chance to do so, as Jaga participated in the qualifying rounds for a place at the pinnacle of European football.

The Polish champions fell short of making that dream a reality, as they were defeated 5-1 on aggregate by FK Bodø/Glimt. Stryjek has yet to feature for his new club, as he is currently back-up to the impressive Sławomir Abramowicz. Whilst the former Eastleigh goalkeeper's Champions League dream may be over this season, his club currently lead the Ekstraklasa and are showing no signs of letting up.

If Jaga continues this form, he will no doubt get a shot at his dream again next year. Abramowicz looks to have the first-choice role locked down, but, Stryjek will be pushing as hard to take that place as soon as possible. Whilst it's certainly better than sitting on the bench in League One, the new Jaga keeper will want to play as much as possible and earn his spot in those European games if they come.

Fortunately, the league leaders still have the chance to play on the European stage, as they will face off with either Ajax or Panathinaikos for a place in the Europa League. After a hefty defeat to Bodo, Stryjek will be hoping that he will get his chance to prove his worth and take the gloves from Abramowicz soon.