Jamshedpur FC has added sheen to its forwardline by signing Nerijus `Nerka’ Valskis for two seasons.
The Tata Steel-owned club on Friday announced its second acquisition in a span of a week as Valskis put pen to paper confirming his arrival to the Furnace.
Valskis is the current Indian Super League 2019-20 Golden Boot winner. He led his former club Chennaiyin FC to the ISL final, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists on course. All of his goals came through open play.
The Lithuanian forward announced his delight at 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 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 win the coveted crown. 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 for his previous clubs. Valskis has plied his trade at clubs of Lithuania, Israel, Belurus, Latvia, Romania and Poland. He 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 he had taken a league by storm.
JFC head coach Owen Coyle was thrilled to be working with Valskis again, as he said: “ Nerka is a seasoned striker with goal scoring 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 a 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. “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,” he added’
Jamshedpur CEO Mukul Choudhari underlined the Club’s ambitions as he said: “We are incredibly pleased to have signed 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 Valskis is one of the league’s top players.”
Nerka will be wearing the coveted number 9 jersey for Jamshedpur.
