Mahir Emreli: The desire to play outweighed everything else

Azerbaijan national team footballer Mahir Emreli intends to be of benefit to Polish club Raków.

The 29-year-old striker spoke to Report about his goals at his new club.

"I want to be useful to the team. We strive to achieve success through collective efforts. I hope this will be one of the most memorable seasons for me. We are all working for the club's success. The desire to play outweighed everything else. That was the purpose of changing clubs. I felt that I would find such an opportunity at Raków. I hope they will be useful to me, and I to them," Emreli stated.

"My agent had been negotiating with Raków for over a month. They were one of the first clubs to send me an offer. For a month, negotiations were held with me and with Kaiserslautern, as I have a two-year contract with the club. A few weeks before the start of the championship, we managed to complete the transfer," he said.

The player, who previously played for Polish club Legia, emphasized that he is familiar with the local championship.

"I know this team. What they have achieved in recent years speaks for itself. I remember them from back when I played in Poland. They have a distinctive playing style. They don't demonstrate typical Polish football but prefer bold play. These factors played a role in my transfer. Although I have an understanding of the Polish league, I want to note that the championship has reached a new level. Last season, various teams maintained chances for the title and European cups until the final rounds. This shows how much the league has progressed," the forward noted.

The footballer, who joined Raków on loan, also touched upon the topic of a possible permanent transfer.

"There are certain conditions for a permanent transfer. If they are met by the end of the season, the transfer will go through. Right now, I intend to focus on the upcoming matches. At the end of the season, the clubs will discuss it between themselves," he added.

As a reminder, Raków loaned Mahir Emreli for one year. The Azerbaijan national team member is under contract with German club Kaiserslautern.