Josef Švanda

Josef Švanda came up through the youth ranks close to home, joining SFK Vrchovina Nové Město na Moravě as a boy before working his way into the club's senior side in the MSFL. That local route gave him his move to Teplice in July 2021, and within weeks he was making his first-team debut in the Fortuna:Liga away at Dynamo České Budějovice.

Teplice sent him out twice to sharpen up elsewhere: a season-long loan at FK Ústí nad Labem across 2021/22, then a shorter spell at FK Varnsdorf through 2023. Both times he returned to Teplice rather than moving on for good, and he has stayed there since.

There is a small mismatch in how clubs and databases describe him: international sites such as Transfermarkt and Sofascore list Švanda as a right-back, while Teplice's own site describes him as a midfielder. Either way, he has settled into a regular squad role, with around 77 league appearances for the club. He has not scored in that time, but has set up five goals for team-mates, a contribution more suited to a player who gets forward from defence or a deeper midfield slot than to an out-and-out stopper.

He wears the number 3 shirt, and remains uncapped at senior international level for the Czech Republic.