Skalak says goodbye in £800k move to Millwall
Jiri Skalak has left Brighton and Hove Albion for Championship side Millwall.
The Lions are reported to have paid around £800,000 for the Czech Republic international. If true, it would equal their club record set nearly 30 years ago for Paul Goddard. When you throw in potential performance relayed payments, Skalak could become Millwall’s most expensive ever player.
Skalak cost the Albion just over £1m when he arrived from Mlada Boleslav in January 2016. For his first six months at the club, that looked like an absolute steal.
Alongside fellow new arrival Anthony Knockaert on the opposite flank, Skalak provided a real outlet as Chris Hughton’s side got to within two goals of automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Such was impact that he was voted our WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month for April and he also took the Goal of the Season award for his stunning distance effort against Queens Park Rangers.
All that was enough to secure a spot in the Czech squad for Euro 2016, but when Skalak returned from France it was like he was a completely different player. There were rumours of a break up with his partner. Whatever the reasons, Skalak was a virtual passenger from that point on.
His ineffectiveness reached its nadir when Hughton surprisingly selected him in the final home game of the season against Bristol City ahead of Solly March and Jamie Murphy. Three points would secure the Championship title yet Skalak was anonymous, the Albion lost 1-0 to the relegation threatened Robins and a week later Newcastle United were lifting the trophy.
That was his final league appearance in Brighton colours. He managed just two Carabao Cup appearances against Barnet and Plucky Little Bournemouth and one FA Cup appearances last season.
Which rather brilliantly means that his last positive act in an Albion shirt was getting pissed up, dressing up in a load of merchandise and standing on a chair in his back garden waving some flags around to celebrate promotion to the Premier League.
Skalak may have flattered to deceive on the pitch, but you can’t fault that sort of madcap dedication. He should fit in well at the Den. Millllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.
