German Barkovskiy’s move to Hradec Králové has taken an unexpected turn less than three weeks after the Czech club paid around €400,000 to sign him from Puszcza Niepołomice.
The Belarus international has now returned to Poland on a season-long loan with Polonia Warszawa, who also hold an option to buy him.
The reason appears to be administrative rather than sporting.
Hradec still cannot use him
Hradec officially confirmed on September 8 that the club is still dealing with administrative matters connected to Barkovskiy’s arrival in the Czech Republic.
The 24-year-old has therefore been sent to Polonia for the remainder of the 2026/27 season so that he can continue developing and, crucially, get regular competitive minutes.
Local Czech reporting gives more detail.
Salonky HK reports that Barkovskiy has been unable to play because he has not obtained the necessary Czech work permit. He has trained with Hradec since joining from Puszcza on August 19, but has not played a single competitive minute for the club.
Hradec sporting director Petr Pojezný had already acknowledged that the club knew the transfer would be administratively complicated.
According to Czech reporting, Barkovskiy was registered from a football perspective and applications had been submitted to the relevant authorities, but the club was still waiting to learn whether he would actually be permitted to play.
The Belarus factor
Hradec’s own announcement does not specify the exact legal obstacle.
However, both Salonky HK and eFotbal link the complications to Barkovskiy’s Belarusian nationality and the restrictions surrounding Belarus following its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
eFotbal reports that Barkovskiy had valid residence and work documentation in Poland, but that those permissions could not simply be transferred for employment in the Czech Republic.
That made a return to Poland the most practical short-term solution.
Instead of leaving a newly signed striker training without any realistic match schedule, Hradec can keep him playing while continuing to work on the Czech documentation.
Back to a league he already knows
Polonia Warszawa confirmed the loan on September 8.
The move takes Barkovskiy back to a country where he already has extensive experience. Since leaving Dynamo Brest at the start of 2025, he has played in Poland for Puszcza Niepołomice and Piast Gliwice, including two seasons of Ekstraklasa football.
He now drops to the Betclic 1. Liga with Polonia, but should have a much clearer route to immediate playing time.
Polonia also hold a purchase option, meaning there is now a realistic possibility that Barkovskiy could leave Hradec permanently without ever making an official appearance for the Czech club.
Hradec had to find another striker
The uncertainty around Barkovskiy also forced Hradec to react.
With the Belarusian unable to play, the club moved for Tomáš Čvančara from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Čvančara made his Hradec debut in the 2-1 win over Sparta Prague on September 6 and immediately provided the assist for the winning goal.
That makes Barkovskiy’s route into the Hradec attack even less straightforward if and when the administrative issue is eventually resolved.
What initially looked like another clear step forward in his career has therefore become a very unusual detour.
Hradec paid a significant fee for a striker they clearly wanted, Barkovskiy travelled with the squad immediately after signing, but work-permit complications have prevented him from playing at all.
For now, Poland offers the simplest solution.