Indian Football Transfers: Chennaiyin FC rope in Lithuanian forward Nerijus Valskis from Hapoel Tel Aviv
Chennaiyin FC has confirmed the signing of Lithuanian Nerijus Valskis for the upcoming season of the Indian Super League. The footballer, who can also play as an attacking midfielder represented Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League last season. The club announced the arrival of the footballer by releasing a short on its official Twitter handle.
Nerijus has played most of its club football in Lithuania, he also played in Belarus and Latvia. He was part of Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv squad which won the Israeli State Cup in 2016-17. Among his individual records, he was awarded the Best Player in 2013 in the A Lyga (Lituania’s top league) and was also the top scorer in that year. The European has also represented his national team on 20 occasions.
Chennaiyin FC has had a miserable ISL in the last season, having finished at the bottom of the points table with just a couple of wins. On top of that, the ‘Marina Machans’ scored the least number of goals and conceded the most. Their outing in the AFC Cup was also not impressive either, failing to get past the group stages, even though they managed to win three matches.
A real makeover needs to be done ahead of the new season, the signing of Nerijus is a positive move for the two-time champions. For a team which has been struggling to get its name on the scoresheet quite often, will get a huge pump with the services of the Lithuanian at their disposal.
Chennaiyin FC also confirmed the departure of goalkeeper Nikhil Bernard and midfielders Isaac Vanmalsawma and Chris Herd from the squad. Isaac has been roped in by ISL rivals Jamshedpur FC on a permanent transfer on an undisclosed fee. On the other hand, Nikhil and Chris have left following the expiry of their respective contracts.