2 Jan 2027
Saturday
Process
22 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

132 days out for Liviu Antal after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Zalgiris will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

A falling-out at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at Zalgiris

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Grigore Turda was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

Back issues
21 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Zalgiris count the cost of losing Paulius Golubickas

29 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

A row about effort at Zalgiris

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Grigore Turda was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

A falling-out at Zalgiris

Ivan Lytvynenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

The dugout

Bryan Teixeira gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Bryan Teixeira is on it.

The dugout

Yuriy Kendysh has been promised minutes

A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Yuriy Kendysh has written the date down.

The dugout

Petar Bosančić asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

20 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Words exchanged at Zalgiris

Grigore Turda and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Market

Zalgiris promote Modestas Slavickas from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Modestas Slavickas 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.

Market

Paulius Vaitkunas steps up from the Zalgiris academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Paulius Vaitkunas 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.

The dugout

Paulius Golubickas gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Paulius Golubickas is on it.

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kajus Bička is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

Yuriy Kendysh has been promised minutes

A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Yuriy Kendysh has written the date down.

In brief

19 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Dominik Franke in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zalgiris this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Grigore Turda is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Squad

A step back for Ivan Lytvynenko at Zalgiris

Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.

In brief

18 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A falling-out at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at Zalgiris

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Matas Vareika was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Carlos Olses has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Zalgiris will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

In brief

17 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Words exchanged at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

The dugout

When it matters, Bryan Teixeira 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.

Squad

A row about effort at Zalgiris

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kajus Bička was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Yuriy Kendysh has been promised minutes

A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Yuriy Kendysh has written the date down.

Market

Still no signature from Petar Bosančić

1 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zalgiris could get for him.

Market

Nikola Petković linked with a move away

The name of Nikola Petković keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zalgiris say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

16 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Boardroom

Zalgiris lift the trophy

The season a town measures the next twenty against. The trophy comes home with the squad, and the route through the streets was agreed days ago.

Match

Zalgiris through in the cup

A 1‑0 win over Kauno Zalgiris, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Player ratings

Matas Vareika beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 32. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

The dugout

Rokas Satkus says Zalgiris went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Zalgiris cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Tempers go at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira 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.

Squad

Grigore Turda falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

The dugout

No place for Yuriy Kendysh on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zalgiris pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

The dugout

Aidas Simkus has his say

“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Aidas Simkus on a 1‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.

In brief

15 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Bryan Teixeira in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zalgiris this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Arvydas Kazlauskas steps up from the Zalgiris academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Arvydas Kazlauskas 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.

Squad

Matas Vareika falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

14 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Words exchanged at Zalgiris

Ivan Lytvynenko and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

The armband comes off Paulius Golubickas

Zalgiris will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Squad

A row about effort at Zalgiris

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kajus Bička was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

13 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Grigore Turda falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

A falling-out at Zalgiris

Ivan Lytvynenko and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Too much change too quickly at Zalgiris

13 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.

The dugout

Bryan Teixeira has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Zalgiris will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

The dugout

Petar Bosančić knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Petar Bosančić trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

Petar Bosančić runs his contract down

2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zalgiris money.

In brief

12 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tempers go at Zalgiris

Dominik Franke 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.

Squad

A row about effort at Zalgiris

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Matas Vareika was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

When it matters, Nikola Petković 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.

In brief

11 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Bryan Teixeira in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zalgiris this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Zalgiris promote Vikintas Jankauskas from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Vikintas Jankauskas 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.

Squad

Kajus Bička falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

10 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A falling-out at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Grigore Turda falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

Paulius Golubickas slips down the pecking order

The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Paulius Golubickas is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.

In brief

9 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Words exchanged at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Matas Vareika falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

Zalgiris are still strangers to each other

13 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.

The dugout

When it matters, Bryan Teixeira 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.

Market

Still no signature from Petar Bosančić

3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zalgiris could get for him.

Market

Nikola Petković linked with a move away

The name of Nikola Petković keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zalgiris say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

8 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tempers go at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira 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.

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kajus Bička is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

Nikola Petković has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Zalgiris will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

In brief

7 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Grigore Turda is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Boardroom

Zalgiris agree a free transfer for Titas Milašius

Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.

Squad

Tempers go at Zalgiris

Ivan Lytvynenko 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.

Market

One of our own: Mantas Vaitkunas joins the Zalgiris first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mantas Vaitkunas is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

The dugout

When it matters, Deividas Šešplaukis 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.

The dugout

Petar Bosančić asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

6 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Zalgiris close the window on a squad of their own making

15 in and 2 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.

Market

Zalgiris turn down Stumbras for Kajus Bička

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Grigore Turda in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zalgiris this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Matas Vareika is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Squad

A step back for Ivan Lytvynenko at Zalgiris

Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.

The dugout

When it matters, Matas Vareika 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.

In brief

5 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Words exchanged at Zalgiris

Dominik Franke and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Transfer targets

Zalgiris baulk at the price for Giedrius Zenkevičius

Suduva wanted more than $200.0K and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Tadas Klimavicius

Zalgiris asked and Stumbras said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Market

Stumbras watching Kajus Bička

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zalgiris have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

13 new faces, and Zalgiris are still learning each other

A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.

The dugout

Bryan Teixeira gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Bryan Teixeira is on it.

Squad

Kajus Bička falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

“I want to play”: Rokas Satkus speaks

“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.

The dugout

Rokas Satkus knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zalgiris, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

4 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Bryan Teixeira sends Zalgiris through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Bryan Teixeira obliged against Stumbras. 6‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Zalgiris.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Deividas Šešplaukis

Successful dribbles: 32. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

A day Bryan Teixeira will not forget

3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.

Market

Petar Bosančić asks to leave Zalgiris

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Transfer targets

Zalgiris make their move for Giedrius Zenkevičius

$200.0K on the table at Suduva. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.

Squad

Tempers go at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira 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.

Match

6 goals as Zalgiris and Stumbras go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Zalgiris and Stumbras, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Bryan Teixeira

Marked 9.64 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Grigore Turda is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

In brief

3 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Gustas Jarusevičius sends Zalgiris through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Gustas Jarusevičius obliged against Utenis. 2‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Zalgiris.

Market

Atlantas come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Zalgiris did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Bryan Teixeira in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zalgiris this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Transfer targets

Trakai tell Zalgiris: Justas Kuklys is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

The terraces

The crowd has taken to Gustas Jarusevičius

At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.

Squad

Matas Vareika falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Player ratings

Gustas Jarusevičius was on a different afternoon to everybody else

8.04. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.

The dugout

A satisfied Aidas Simkus

“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑0, Aidas Simkus could afford to be generous.

Squad

Marko Prljević needs a bigger stage

He is doing things every Saturday that nobody around him can answer. It is flattering for a season and a problem after that, and Zalgiris know which stage they are at.

In brief

2 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Paulius Golubickas signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Paulius Golubickas commits to Zalgiris for another 3 years.

Squad

Words exchanged at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Transfer targets

Slavia Mozyr tell Zalgiris: Andrey Solovey is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Market

Zalgiris promote Arvydas Lasickas from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Arvydas Lasickas 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.

Market

One of our own: Tadas Eliosius joins the Zalgiris first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Tadas Eliosius is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

Market

Tadas Kazlauskas steps up from the Zalgiris academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Tadas Kazlauskas 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.

In brief

1 Edition

The Zalgiris Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Bryan Teixeira signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Bryan Teixeira commits to Zalgiris for another 4 years.

Squad

A falling-out at Zalgiris

Bryan Teixeira and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Words at Zalgiris training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Grigore Turda is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Sergey Pushnyakov

Zalgiris asked and Neman said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Market

49 months and counting on Ivan Lytvynenko

Still no offer on the table, and Ivan Lytvynenko’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.

Squad

Too much change too quickly at Zalgiris

11 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.

In brief