The NK Celje Sentinel
Market19 Jul 2027
David Castro puts it in writing
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at NK Celje, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Svit Sešlar stays put
“The easiest signature of my career.” Svit Sešlar and NK Celje agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Tempers go at NK Celje
Žiga Frelih was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom19 Jul 2027
6 academy players handed senior numbers at NK Celje
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Market19 Jul 2027
NK Celje promote Gregor Kurtovic from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Gregor Kurtovic has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market19 Jul 2027
Rok Handanovic steps up from the NK Celje academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Rok Handanovic has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Jul 2027
Petar Lovric steps up from the NK Celje academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Petar Lovric has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad19 Jul 2027
A muscle injury sidelines Stijan Gobec for 15 days
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. NK Celje will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Squad19 Jul 2027
When it matters, Žiga Frelih plays
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.