A PERFECT FIT
Ojamaa is overjoyed to return as striker
SOME might have j u mp e d to the conclusion that Henri k Oj a maa’ s decision to return to Motherwell from Legia Warsaw t his week was sparked by the blow of his club losing their Champions League place to Celtic.
But, as the Estonian international was at pains to point out yesterday, his reasons for rejoining Stuart McCall’s Steelmen at Fir Park ran much deeper than that.
Despite being a regular starter for Legia and helping them win the Polish league last season, he was frustrated at being played on the right wing by Henning Berg rather than his favoured central striker position.
So Ojamaa requested a move — engineered in no small part by a sympathetic text from McCall — and was delighted when Motherwell came up with a five-month loan deal and an assurance he would play in his preferred role, starting with today’s visit of Inverness.
The 23-year-old, who is thought to have rebuffed Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United to return to his spiritual home, said: ‘I’ve known about Motherwell’s interest for a while and I had a few interesting offers from elsewhere. But Motherwell know exactly what kind of player I am, so it made a lot of sense to come back.
‘Playing for a title-winning team and appearing for Legia in the Europa League certainly put me in the shop window. I could have gone to a few other Premiership and Championship clubs. It was great to know I hadn’t been forgotten here.’
Despite not featuring in the 6-1 aggregate win over Celtic that was subsequently overturned after an administrative bungle, Ojamaa stressed that he had not been forced out of Warsaw.
‘It’s not a case of me having been out of the team. I missed only two or three matches when we won the title last season. I also played most of our European games, so it’s not that I was frustrated by a lack of game time.
‘The problem was where I was playing. I had a chat with the manager at the end of last season once the championship had been secured and asked if there was any chance of them playing me in the position they signed me to play in.
‘It turned out there wasn’t but I’m very grateful to him for letting me come here. He didn’t have to do that because I was a regular starter.
‘I’m just excited to be back in this environment at Motherwell, where I know so many of the people.’
Ojamaa i sn’t alone i n having rejoined the Steelmen, with Steven Hammell, Keith Lasley, Fraser Kerr and John Sutton having done the same in recent years.
‘It’s down to the way people are treated here,’ he said. ‘The players are also very close and you get a real sense of a family feeling. This team sticks together.
‘You know people are going to be good to you and, as a player, that’s something you appreciate. It’s not the case everywhere. The position I want to play in was also the one they were looking to fill.’
While delighted to be back in Scotland, Ojamaa still feels for the team-mates he left behind after Celtic took their place in the next Champions League qualifying round.
‘Everyone at Legia is obviously very disappointed, having played so well over the two legs against Celtic,’ he added. ‘The Champions League has always been the target. It’s what the fans want and what the board and the players want.
‘Winning the title is the minimum expectation and reaching the Champions League has been a huge goal for them over the years.
‘I think they had a realistic chance of getting there this year and to miss out in such controversial circumstances was a real blow.
‘There was an administrative error, there’s no doubt about that. But we just felt the punishment was out of proportion to the crime.’
McCall was delighted that Ojamaa had chosen to work with him again rather than go for glory with a bigger club — and revealed that a text he sent to the player about being played out of position had planted an acorn in his mind.
‘I didn’t think we’d have a chance, financially, so credit to the board who have pulled out all the stops to get him on a short-term deal,’ said the Motherwell manager. ‘There were other clubs in Scotland very keen to get him.
‘We were hopeful that, if they were happy to get him out, then Legia would supplement his wages. I said to [chief executive] Alan Burrows and the board this would be a signing that would excite supporters and maybe give us a little lift.’
McCall went to great lengths to persuade Ojamaa — who originally joined from Finnish club RoPS in January 2012 — to return.
He explained: ‘I sent him a text saying: “How can you be playing out there on the wing? Come and play somewhere you can put a smile on your face” – and he said he would seriously consider coming back, but he had financial considerations.
‘I’ve just learned to put tears and big doggy eyes on texts. I don’t think he could have knocked me back — it was me crawling.’
McCall has also signed Derby County defender Mark O’Brien on a five-month loan but he will not feature in today’s game.