Nerijus Valskis joins Jamshedpur FC on two-year deal

The Lithuanian striker was the Golden Boot winner in the ISL 2019-20 season for Chennaiyin FC.

Jamshedpur FC announced its second acquisition in a span of a week as the hitman Nerijus ‘Nerka’ Valskis put pen to paper confirming his arrival at the Furnace for two seasons. Valskis is the current Indian Super League 2019-20 Golden Boot winner. He led his former club to the ISL league final scoring fifteen goals and six assists, and all of his goals came through open play. These exploits in his debut ISL season have left all Indian football fans in awe with his abilities.

The Lithuanian forward announced his delight on signing for Jamshedpur and said, “I am thrilled to be playing for a football-crazy city like Jamshedpur. The city has a huge legacy in football, and I want to help add silverware by winning the coveted ISL trophy for the fans. It is unfinished business for me, and I hope to work hard towards contributing and making Jamshedpur FC Champion of India! This club has huge ambition, and I can’t wait to kick-start an exciting future.”

The forward comes with a proven track record, having scored plenty of goals at his previous clubs. Valskis has plied his trade at clubs in Lithuania, Israel, Belarus, Latvia, Romania, and Poland. Valskis enjoyed his best season personally at FK Suduva in the 2013 A Lyga campaign in the Lithuanian top-flight. Last season’s heroics by the sniper was not the first time that he had taken a league by storm. He topped the scoring charts with 27 goals in 30 league appearances in the 2013 season with FK Suduva and was crowned A Lyga Player of the Year for his exploits. He has also played with the Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Tel Aviv and in the Thai top division with Ratchaburi FC.

Head Coach, Owen Coyle, was thrilled to be working with Nerijus Valskis again, as he said, “Nerka is a seasoned striker with goalscoring prowess and hunger to attack the opposition at all times. His link-up play, agility, and finishing is of the highest order, probably the best in the league, and he was the Golden Boot winner for a reason. His performances last season were so powerful and lethal, that his mere presence in the dressing room and the pitch automatically lifted everyone around him. I look forward to working with him and have another successful season.”

Valskis also spoke about continuing his journey in India under the tutelage of Owen Coyle and said, “We worked wonders as he lifted and motivated a squad that was struggling, resulting in a turnaround that helped us reach the final. I am looking forward to achieving more success with him.”

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Valskis has 26 international caps for Lithuania with his latest international appearance coming against Serbia in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. He has also played in the inaugural UEFA Nations League prior to the same.

Jamshedpur FC CEO, Mukul Choudhari, underlined club’s ambitions as he said, “We are incredibly pleased to have signed Nerijus Valskis. He is a player with proven quality. We have watched and admired him for some time as he had all the attributes we are looking for to fulfill our requirements. He is a great team player behind the scenes resulting in a healthy camaraderie within the squad. It’s an exciting day for all of us at Jamshedpur as I believe he is one of the league’s top players.”