Žan Rogelj for Planet FC: Innsbruck was the best possible move, but now I want to take the next step forward in my career
He is one of those who left Slovenia quietly. Through the side door, if you wish. And especially on the ring road, past the best clubs in the country. But Žan Rogelj could have made a different choice when he waved goodbye to his native Kranj two years ago. I could have stayed in
Telemach First League
. “It’s true. When it became clear that I would be leaving Triglav, there was also a lot of interest from some Slovenian clubs,“, Žan Rogelj began the conversation for Planet Football, adding.The talks with Maribor were the most intense, although Gorica and Domžale were also interested. That’s all that’s left. So, in conversations.”
Without any comment
Instead of going to the capital of Styria, Rogelj preferred to go to the capital of the Austrian state of Tyrol. In the fifth largest city of our northern neighbours, he found everything he needed at that moment. An environment where he felt and still feels comfortable, and above all a club that helped him progress.
“From the first moment it became clear that I was going to Innsbruck, I was convinced that this was the best possible decision for me. And I was not wrong. I was lucky to have Zlatko Dedić by my side in my first season and I knew it was the right decision. As for the club… I am without any comment! I can’t say one bad thing about my club. The decision I took a good two years ago was more than just the right one. It was a great one,” admits the now 23-year-old member of WSG Tirol, who would recommend the Austrian league to any young Slovenian who dreams of playing abroad.It is just the right stepping stone. Big enough, but not too big. The Austrian league is not an easy league, far from it, but it is a stage in terms of quality where you can definitely prove yourself and get some minutes. For a young footballer, it’s the top league. It is pointless to waste words on how organised the football environment is here anyway. The clubs are organised to an exceptionally high standard. A footballer can only play football, everything else is taken care of by others. The league is also very well covered by the media. Everything is of a high standard. Higher than ours.”
Rogelj played 81 games for the Tyroleans in two and a half years. He was among the scorers 7 times and among the passers 11 times. This season, he has three goals and one assist, which he is not entirely satisfied with. “To be perfectly honest, I had set my goals a bit higher for my personal stats. I’m happy to play and I’m playing well, but I’m not completely satisfied. Also because I know I could show more. On the other hand, I must not complain about the results of the club,“, points out the Gorenje resident, and he is right.
WSG Tirol
is in a high fifth place for him, much higher than the experts predicted before the season.
The team has great chemistry
“No one really thought we would be so high up the rankings at the halfway point of the season. We knew we had a good team and we quietly hoped and believed that we would do well. But for anyone to dare to predict such results out loud… No, absolutely not. We are now in the opening part of the season, which has exceeded our expectations.” The winter break (the season in Austria will not resume until the beginning of February next year) came at a bad time for Rogelj and his teammates. They were in very good shape before:”That’s right, in the last five games we have won four times and drawn only once. We had a great chemistry, and we worked well together in training. Anyone who stood in our way would – I am sure – have a problem with us. I can only hope that when the season resumes, it will be similar.”
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But will Rogelj still be a teammate of Sandi Ogrinec and Niko Prelec in the second part of the season ? Or will he use the winter transfer window to go elsewhere? “While I am happy in Innsbruck and grateful for everything I have gained here, it is no secret that I am also looking to the future. I am thinking about taking a step forward in my career. To go one step higher. If I didn’t think like that, then it would probably be pointless to play football at all. I always want to do more, that’s why I’m thinking about a better club, a better league,” admitted Rogelj, who expects the next few weeks to be busy despite the football break:“Something will have to happen, I’m entering the last six months of my contract with WSG Tirol.”
Talks with a Belgian club
It is no surprise that he is attracting interest from other clubs. After all, this was already the case in the summer, when he was not yet close to the end of his contract with his Austrian club: “Yes, I was close to a transfer to Belgium in the summer transfer window. I was ready to transfer, we had some talks, but in the end it didn’t work out. Sorry. We will see what happens in the coming months, but as I said: something will happen and something has to happen. One way or another.”
Wherever he plays in the future, Žan Rogelj will always have in mind
the Slovenian national team
. In the past, he has played regularly for the younger selections, and has already made three appearances in the national team. “Playing for the national team is an honour that everyone dreams of. I was lucky enough to have been there before and I have always been very proud of it. Now it seems to me that the selector Matjaž Kek has found players he is happy with. He has achieved some very good results with them and it is currently difficult to break into the national team. This is a fact. But either way, the most important thing is that the results are good. And to finally qualify for the big competition again. If the selector thinks I can help the national team, I will be eternally grateful. I will always play with great honour for my country,” says Rogelj.
Triglav doesn’t deserve it
While the future of the Slovenian national team is bright, times are much worse for Rogelj’s home club. Triglav is languishing in the 2nd SNL, and the Kranj team is in both an organisational and financial crisis. “I am following closely what is going on in Triglav, there are still some guys there that I know well. It is a fact that the situation is not rosy. I don’t know exactly what is going on, but Triglav does not deserve all this. You deserve to be in the top league. Kranj has always been very much a pool of talented young boys, and Triglav has always come from that. But in recent years, things have taken a turn for the worse. Very much for the worse. Unfortunately… I don’t know, we’ll see what happens. They will have to sort it all out somehow. First they will have to identify the main problem, then start all over again,” added Žan Rogelj for Planet Football.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
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