Former Walsall winger Milan Lalkovic joins Czech side

The 25-year-old, who was previously on Chelsea’s books, has been dogged by Achilles problems since leaving the Saddlers in 2016.

He has been without a club since January, when his Portsmouth contract was cancelled early by mutual consent.

But after having surgery he’s now joining Olomouc, who are 14th in the Czech First Division, until the end of the season.

“If I did not get hurt, I’d still be at Portsmouth, a super club,” Lalkovic told the Czech media. “I wanted to stay there for a long time, so I bought a beautiful house.

“But nothing can be done, that’s life. I’ve been in England since I was 14. It’s my second home.

"In the 2015/16 season I played nearly 50 matches for Walsall, but only 20 in the last two years. From a health point of view, it has been a disaster.”

The Slovakian midfielder was planning to join another English club before Sigma boss Václav Jílek called him.

"I was going to show up at a club in England," he revealed. "We agreed on the contract, but coach Jílek called me. I felt like a good chance, like a restart.

"I was in the right place at the right time. Olomouc had a lot of injured players in my position and I was still free due to my previous injuries.

"Clubs in England have been trialling me, but I was not fit at the beginning of the summer."