Former Czech U21 international midfielder Jiřà BÃlek is spending the week on trial with Paul Jewell’s squad at Playford Road. BÃlek, 27, currently plays for Kaiserslautern in Germany's Bundesliga.
BÃlek, who is likely to have joined central defender Ibrahima Sonko and Richard Wright in the reserves side which drew 1-1 in a friendly with Colchester yesterday, was born in Prague and was a youth player with local side Sparta before moving on loan to Spolana Neratovice and then Chmel BlÅ¡any.
In 2006 the 6ft 1in tall defensive midfielder joined Town’s 2002 UEFA Cup foes Slovan Liberec on a permanent basis and then in January 2009 he signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Kaiserslautern.
After initially playing for their second string in the regional leagues, he broke through into their first team during their spell in the German second tier and was in the side which won the division in 2009/10. BÃlek made 15 league appearances last season, Kaiserslautern's first back in the Bundesliga, but is now out of favour and surplus to requirements.
Capped at both U20 and U21 levels by his country, BÃlek is also set to spend time with Birmingham City while in the UK.