Sparta Won't Bring Birmančević Back Despite Wing Crisis

Prague's Sparta is facing serious problems with wing players, but coach Brian Priske has no intention of recalling Serbian footballer Aleksandar Birmančević, who was dropped from the first team. The coach made this clear on Monday evening ahead of the away Champions League third qualifying round match against Lyon.

"Not at the moment. The reasons are the same as before," Priske replied curtly when asked whether it might be time to try reviving the Serbian's career at the club.

A shortage of wing options

The situation at Sparta is growing increasingly tense: if Lukáš Haraslín's move to Saudi Arabia goes through, the team will lose yet another key wide player. For now, the coach can mainly count on John Mercado and Josimar Alcocer, along with versatile midfielder Ebrima Singhateh. Waiting in reserve are the currently less impressive Garang Kuol, João Grimaldo and Dominik Holly.

Adam Karabec or Santiago Eneme could step in to help, but neither is an ideal solution either. Saturday's 0:2 defeat in Mladá Boleslav, which came with a rotated lineup, showed that not every player currently on the roster is capable of turning a game around. "The match gave us a few answers," Priske admitted, hinting at the weaknesses that were exposed.

Birmančević's future remains uncertain

Back in early summer, the club officially announced that a group of players, including Birmančević, had been given permission to seek new clubs. Also on that list were Indrit Tuci and Elias Cobbaut — all of whom technically remain Sparta players. There were rumors of interest from Greece's Panathinaikos in the Serbian midfielder, but so far neither a transfer nor a loan deal has materialized.

What is certain is that the Serb did not travel to Lyon for the second leg of the Champions League tie. What happens next in his career remains to be seen.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz