Pilař joins Bohemians and slams Hradec Králové's management

Veteran Czech midfielder Václav Pilař has left Hradec Králové in a surprise move, signing with Prague side Bohemians 1905. The club had offered him only a spot in the reserve squad, but Pilař himself reached out to Bohemians coach Jaroslav Veselý to let him know he was available — and was training with his new teammates in Opalenice the very next day.

"I haven't come across such warm treatment in a long time," Pilař admitted, noting that he was the one who made first contact with Bohemians. Since the age of 28, the midfielder has worked without an agent, handling all his transfer negotiations himself.

Bohemians coach Jaroslav Veselý made no secret of his delight at the unexpected addition: "He practically fell into our lap. I haven't coached many players of that calibre — including with the national team." According to Veselý, Pilař, who has 22 caps for the Czech national team and experience in the Champions League and the German Bundesliga, would statistically be one of the most productive players in the Bohemians squad: last season with Hradec Králové he racked up seven goal contributions in 24 matches.

Veselý and Pilař are both natives of Hradec Králové, which helps explain the choice of new club. The coach admitted he was just as stunned by the news as the player himself: "I thought he was pulling my leg."

Hradec Králové coach David Horejš explained the parting of ways as part of the club's sporting philosophy: the team has decided to build around young players and the future, though he acknowledged Pilař's contributions. The club offered the veteran a place in the reserve team, but he turned it down.

Veselý, meanwhile, defended the midfielder's age, drawing a parallel with one of football's global superstars: "Nobody was surprised at the World Cup that Lionel Messi was still playing at 39. If he can perform at the highest level, why shouldn't Václav be able to play in the Czech league?" According to the coach, had Bohemians not signed Pilař, two or three other clubs were waiting in line for him.

Bohemians sporting director Miroslav Držmíšek said negotiations with the player himself went smoothly: "He didn't think twice about it. He just wants to play football."

The league schedule has thrown up a fittingly symbolic twist: Bohemians open the season away at Teplice on Saturday, before hosting none other than Pilař's former club, Hradec Králové, in their very next match. Tickets for that fixture are already sold out. "There'll be a whole stand full of Pilařs coming. I just hope there's something left for my own family," Veselý joked. The new signing, for his part, is focused on the more immediate task at hand: "It'll be a spicy one, but right now Teplice is what's on my mind," Pilař said.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz