Karolis Skinkys: Who is the new Kerala Blasters sporting director

The official who was formerly at Lithuanian outfit Suduva has been lured to Kochi for next season.

Although the Indian Super League campaign has only recently completed, it's quite evident that most clubs have already begun their preparations for next campaign. While some teams like FC Goa and Bengaluru FC will only have minor aspects to improve upon, sides like Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC do still have a long way to go. 

The men from Kochi are the first to have made a move this time, wherein experienced sporting director Karolis Skinkys is set to take charge of all the on and off-field matters at the club. 

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Who Is Karolis Skinkys? 

The Lithuanian national has been around the European footballing scene for the best part of the last eight years and it's no surprise that his talents have been targeted by an aspiring club like Kerala Blasters. Born in November 1989, he began his career at Suduva as a club spokesperson, but eventually made his way up the ranks all the way to be their sporting director. 

Having finished a bachelors degree and a further masters from Lithuania's Vytauto Didziojo Universitetas, most of which was done after he started working at Suduva, he’s gone on to achieve great things at the club. Not only has Skinkys played a key part in multiple transfer dealings along the way, he is also said to take a keen interest in operational matters like team selection, talent scouting, recruitment and even day-to-day functions. 

What should Kerala Blasters fans get excited about? 

The experienced sporting director had been at the helm at Suduva for more than five years, before he was eventually poached by the Blasters a week ago. Under his tutelage and guidance, Suduva climbed to the top of the Lithuanian first division, which is where they stayed for three seasons to come. Having succeeded in carrying the Lithuanian club all the way to the UEFA Champions League, it’s safe to say that Skinkys comes with a massive reputation. 

The Kerala Blasters management have also been quick to express their satisfaction in the shrewd acquisition of Skinkys, with the CEO of the club Viren D’Silva saying, “On behalf of the ownership and management at Kerala Blasters FC, I would like to welcome Karolis as our sporting director. We are an ambitious club who aim to achieve constant success on the field with him at the helm." 

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Blasters fans should be prepared for a fairly busy summer transfer window, where there could in fact be multiple changes to the squad from last season. The imbalance within the setup was apparent to see all through last season and given the level of signings that Skinkys has managed to secure in the past, there’s more than enough reason for Kerala fans to already get excited for next season. 

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