Brisbane Roar can today confirm it has reached an agreement with Vittsjo GIK for the transfer of Emily Gielnik for an undisclosed fee.
Gielnik, 28, will play no further part after this Sunday’s final Westfield W-League regular season game after the Roar agreed for her to be registered in Sweden before the closure of the Damallsvenskan transfer window.
“I wanted to finish out the season with the Roar and that was my intention,” Gielnik said.
“But in terms of what’s best for me, I had no choice but to sign in Sweden so that I didn’t miss that transfer window. It’s just a really unfortunate circumstance.
“However, I think the squad depth we have is stronger than any other team in the W-League. I have full faith in the girls. Polks [Clare Polkinghorne] is really the rock of our team and that’s a hard one with her, but everyone is replaceable to some degree.
“We most definitely have the capabilities within the team.”
Gielnik is joining Vittsjo for the second time and will link up with Roar team-mate Clare Polkinghorne, who is also set to farewell Brisbane this weekend.
Head Coach Jake Goodship said the overseas attention being paid to Roar players reflected well on the team and the Club.
“The Club has allowed the individual players to leave which is right for their careers and obviously puts them in a good position for the national team leading into the Olympics,” Goodship said.
“It’s obviously been Em’s best season in the W-League to date. I think a big part of that is not only Em working hard in training, it’s also a reflection of the team environment.
“She’s very well supported by the players around her within our training environment and by our support staff.
“She’s taken to a new role very well and it’s good for her to be flexible, particularly with a new national team coach coming in.”
Roar CEO David Pourre added: “It’s never easy to lose a player of Emily’s quality, but when a situation like this arises we have a responsibility to achieve the best outcome.
“Financially, this is a strong result for Brisbane Roar. That’s important. Emily’s form over the past few months speaks for itself and we are comfortable with the fee as compensation for enabling this move to happen at a complex time.
“Emily’s future is also extremely important and on behalf of our members, fans and sponsors I wish her the very best going forward.”
