Jacob Ondrejka Joins FC Groningen on Loan
Jacob Ondrejka is on the move again. The Swedish midfielder has joined FC Groningen on loan from Parma, looking to reboot a career that once promised far more goals than it delivered last season in Italy.
Groningen hope to have the 23-year-old registered and ready in time for Sunday’s second Eredivisie match of the season, at home to newly promoted ADO Den Haag. If the paperwork lands in time, he could be thrown straight into the squad.
For Ondrejka, the Netherlands is new ground, but the region is not. He has already made his name in the Low Countries once, just across the border with Antwerp in Belgium, where his sharp left foot and eye for goal turned heads.
Career Journey
His journey began at home in Sweden with Landskrona BoIS, where his potential first surfaced. From there, Elfsborg came calling in 2020. Over three seasons he became a key figure: 110 games, 20 goals, and the kind of consistency that inevitably attracts foreign scouts.
Antwerp secured his signature in the summer of 2023. The move suited him. In a season and a half with the Great Old, he featured 55 times, scoring 12 goals and supplying seven assists. By the midpoint of his second campaign, he had seven goals and five assists in just 26 matches. Those numbers pushed him up a level.
Serie A beckoned. Parma stepped in.
The end of that first half-season in Italy hinted at a smooth transition. Ondrejka played 12 games and struck five goals, an impressive return for a newcomer adjusting to a different tempo and tactical landscape.
Then the momentum stalled.
Last season, opportunities dried up. Across 17 appearances for Parma, he failed to score and did not register a single assist. For a player who thrives on end product, it was a jarring contrast to his Antwerp form.
Parma still believe in the long-term package. His contract runs until 2029, a clear sign the Italian club are not ready to cut ties. But they also know he needs minutes, rhythm, and confidence. Groningen offers all three.
For the Dutch side, this is a calculated gamble with obvious upside: a 23-year-old with proven numbers in Sweden and Belgium, still under a long contract at a Serie A club, hungry to show that last season was an anomaly rather than a new norm.
For Ondrejka, it is simpler. He needs to feel decisive again. To score, to assist, to matter.
Sunday against ADO Den Haag could be the first step in that reset.
