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Škrtel move raises Slovakian pulse

Last week Slovakia forward Filip Hološko left Vestel Manisaspor for Turkish giants Beşiktaş JK in an exchange valued at €5m, and now the nation is abuzz about a switch thought to be worth twice that – Martin Škrtel's move from Russian champions FC Zenit St. Petersburg to Liverpool FC.

Record signing
The 23-year-old passed an Anfield medical on Tuesday, and is all set to become the most expensive defensive signing in the history of the five-time European champions. Škrtel will be eligible for Liverpool's UEFA Champions League campaign despite playing for Zenit in the UEFA Cup, and the news of his impending move has delighted Slovakia coach Ján Kocian. "This is good news for the national team," Kocian said. "He has aerial ability and a no-nonsense attitude."

Prowess
Standing at 1.91m, his physical prowess is underlined by the fact that he could have been an ice hockey professional. Instead he followed in his father Roman's footsteps and opted for football, making his international debut at the age of 19 in 2004 – the same year that he left AS Trenčín for Zenit. Škrtel was soon established as a regular choice for club and country and this year, in addition to his Russian league winner's medal, he finished second in the Slovakian Player of the Year poll behind Róbert Vittek. "I won the Russian league with Zenit but this honour is my best in football," admitted Škrtel.

'Right choice'
He will not be entering uncharted territory in his new English home as he expects to take the number of Slovakians to have played in the Premier League to eight. Vladimír Kinder and Szilárd Németh both represented Middlesbrough FC, Vladimír Labant had a spell with West Ham United FC, Igor Bališ was a popular figure at West Bromwich Albion FC. West Brom also fielded Ján Kozák and Stanislav Varga, the latter also a veteran of two spells at Sunderland AFC, while Ľubomír Michalík is currently at Bolton Wanderers FC. Michalík has no doubt his fellow defender has what it takes to succeed at Liverpool. "In my opininon Martin is the right choice for the style of the English league," he said.

High demand
Škrtel is not the only young Slovakian defender to have been coveted by England's big guns. SSC Napoli's 20-year-old Marek Hamšík has been constantly linked to top Premier League clubs, most notably Chelsea FC, for fees that would eclipse even Škrtel's. Not that Napoli want to sell, with sporting director Pierpaolo Marino declaring: "No chance! Hamšík is ours."