Houston Dynamo sign Lawrence Ennali
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
The Houston Dynamo have announced the signing of German winger Lawrence Ennali from Polish club Gornik Zabrze. Ennali has been rumored to be joining the Dynamo for the last week and a half, and was even spotted at last night’s match with San Jose, but with the MLS transfer window opened today, his signing has been made official.
Ennali joins the Dynamo as a Under 22 Initiative signing. He joins Aliyu Ibrahim and Nelson Quinones as U22 Initiative players for Houston. Ennali, who turned 22 in March, joined Gornik Zabrze in 2023 after spending time at Hannover 96 and Rot-Weiss Essen in Germany. Reports suggest the Dynamo are paying a transfer fee of $3 million for the young winger.
“Lawrence was being highly recruited after his breakout season last year in Poland. Thanks to the resources provided by our owner, Ted Segal, and the first team environment created by our head coach, Ben Olsen, we were able to beat out Bundesliga clubs, Champions League clubs and clubs with more lucrative offers to sign such a promising talent,” said General Manager Pat Onstad. “Lawrence is an explosive winger with the ability to change games with his quickness and aggressiveness to goal. He will help us make a push at the end of this season, and we welcome him to Houston.”
Ennali was named player of the season for 2023-24 with Gornik Zabrze. He played alongside German legend Lukas Podolski and scored five goals this season that recently ended. Ennali will give the Dynamo another dynamic attacking option up front as he is one of the fastest players in the Polish league. You can see from this highlight package just how dangerous he is on the ball.
Ennali will be available to make his debut Saturday, on the road against Vancouver. New striker Ezequiel Ponce is also eligible to play his first match for the Dynamo against the Whitecaps. With the MLS transfer window opening today, the Dynamo may not be done yet. Head coach Ben Olsen has hinted at a third attacking signing coming during this window, so we’ll have to wait and see if Houston adds even more firepower this summer.