Norwich City winger Przemyslaw Placheta was determined to prove his worth immediately at the club, but believes there is more to come from his performances.
The rapid winger has netted one goal and caught the eye with his speed in the opening five matches - with City boss Daniel Farke praising his contribution in the opening fixtures of the season.
Placheta signed for City from Slask Wroclaw in the summer - and despite many believing he would need an adaptation period, the Polish Under-21 international wanted to show his quality from the off.
“Coming to the club, I had the thought in my head that I didn’t want to be a waiting player.
“I know my value and it was important for me to show that the coach could count on me from the first training in the pre-season. I am glad that I did it.
“I had no problem getting into the new group, I was well received by the team. But when it comes to the game itself, this is definitely not the level that satisfies me yet.”
Placheta’s debut goal for the Canaries arrived in their first home game of the season against Preston North End.
The winger missed a gilt-edged chance in the second half when he blazed over from close range but made amends when scoring the equaliser to rescue a point for City.
“I demand a lot from myself, it is important in development. The Championship is also a league where expectations of players are growing.
“If you have an almost 100% chance to score a goal, you just have to take advantage of it,” City’s winger told Polish outlet Przeglad Sportowy. “But at that moment, the most important thing for me was that when I did not take advantage of a good opportunity, I did not lower my head, but went to the next situation.”
For a player from abroad, often the physicality of the Championship can be difficult to adapt to, especially the tough nature of some of the challenges on attacking players.
However, Placheta believes playing in the Polish top-flight has given him an insight into what the Championship is like - although admits the intensity has been higher.
“It is certainly physical, although in this respect it does not differ much from the Ekstraklasa (Polish top-flight). But you can feel more intensity and speed in the game.
“We are now starting the Saturday-Tuesday match cycle, so in a moment I’ll see what the Championship looks like. I’m starting to get to know the league and it will be up to me how I present myself.
“At Norwich, apart from me, on the wings we also have: Onel Hernandez, Emi Buendia and Josh Martin. So the rivalry is big, but I’m happy with it because I feel that I am growing, I am improving my skills. I learn something new every day.”
Swapping Poland for Norfolk wasn’t an easy decision for the 22-year-old - but conversations with City boss Daniel Farke convinced him to sign for the Canaries.
“Norwich is not a typical team from the Championship, here we play forward, offensively.
“Besides, they are not afraid to bet on young players. At Norwich, every young player can gain experience and courage in the game because he gets a chance.
“But most of all I was impressed by how much the club wanted me. You could feel on numerous calls that they care about me. I had one long conversation with the coach, where he explained in detail not only how the team plays, but how the whole club functions in general.”
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