Latvian Virslīga Transfer window (Live Thread).
The Latvian Virslīga transfer window has been open since the 8th of January and we already have had transfers. Here I will count them and update this blog every day when there is news or official announcements. Enjoy.
LAST UPDATE 31st January 21:12
30th January 2024, 15:00 - Nigerian defensive midfielder Luqman Gilmore who last season played for FK Liepāja has signed with the Armenian side FC Urartu Yerevan. The 27-year-old player made 23 league appearances for Liepāja.
29th January 2024, 23:45 - Cote d'Ivoire forward Brahima Ouattara who played three games for FK Auda last season scoring twice has signed with the American USL1 side Hailstorm FC. The 21-year-old will have a familiar teammate for the Latvian fans as former Jūrmalas Spartaks Nigerian stand-out Lucky Opara is playing for that team.
29th January 2024, 23:20 - Riga FC forward Anthony Contreras is going to be loaned out to Cypriot's highest league side Paphos FC for the rest of the season. The impressive 24-year-old Costa Rican international scored 11 goals last season for Riga FC.
29th January 2024, 18:48 - Virslīga 2016 season MVP returns to Jelgava. FS Jelgava announces that they have signed a one-year deal with the 31-year-old midfielder Gļebs Kļuškins. Gļebs last season played 22 league games for FK Liepāja scoring four times. Big addition.
29th January 2024, 18:32 - Ukrainian centre-back Vladyslav Veremieiev who played for FS Jelgava last season signs with the Slovakian Highest league side Michalovce. The 25-year-old last season played in 17 league games for Jelgava scoring once.
28th January 2024, 17:54 - 16-year-old FS Metta academy forward Kristaps Mosāns has joined the Italian B Serie side Parma Calcio academy. The Latvian U17 international last season played mainly in the U-16 Elite league where he scored 8 goals for FS Metta.
24th January 2024, 19:18 - Brazilian midfielder Lucas Ramos (23) will join Auda on loan from the Brazilian Serie A side SC Internacional. He has 12 games in Serie A, a total of 178 minutes.
23rd January 2024, 15:38 - Riga FC attacking midfielder and one of their leaders Douglas Aurelio is moving to the Spanish 3rd league leaders CD Castellon. The 24-year-old has been with Riga since June of 2022. Last season in 35 games he had 8 goals and 8 assists. The rumoured transfer fee is around 600k.
23rd January 2024, 12:15 - Valmiera FC announces the signing of 22-year-old French winger Jason Bahamboula. Lastly, Jason was in the Vitoria Guimaraes system (Portuguese highest league), mostly playing for their reserve team.
22nd January 2024, 18:48 - Fourth Georgian has signed with FK Liepāja - 25-year-old centre-back Vazha Patsatsia is announced. The Georgian has only played at home and this will be his first time playing abroad. Last three seasons he cemented the defence for FC Telavi - making 87 league appearances in those three seasons.
22nd January 2024, 15:29 - Daniels Ontužans (23) after half a season with RFS leaves the team, the Latvian winger made 11 apps for RFS scoring twice (and both of those were beauties).
22nd January 2024, 14:09 - Third Argentinian player off to join Riga FC. Arsenal Sarandí midfielder Gonzalo Muscia (24) is signing with Riga FC. Gonzalo made 19 apps in the highest Argentinian league last season.
22nd January 2024, 12:17 - Georgian 21-year-old winger Lasha Odisharia is officially announced as the RFS signing. The former Dinamo Tbilisi and Georgia U21 international player will sign a 3-year deal with RFS with an option for one more season. The rumoured transfer fee is around 200 thousand euros.
21st January 2024, 14:26 - Free agent goalkeeper Krišjānis Zviedris (26) with a new look can be seen in the latest FK Auda social media post. Last season the goalkeeper was with the Finnish side SJK.
20th January 2024, 13:49 - Former Moldovian international Artiom Rozgoniuc is announced by FK Liepāja. The 28-year-old centre-back has played for various teams in Moldova, including their powerhouse Sheriff, but lastly, he played in Poland.
19th January 2024, 11:11 - Lūkass Vapne (20) returns to Valmiera FC. The talented midfielder joins Valmiera from Metta on a season-long loan with the option to buy at the end of the season. Lūkass who won the Virslīga title with Valmiera in 2022, last season scored 7 goals for Metta.
18th January 2024, 22:20 - 25-year-old Dutch LB Lassana Faye is the newest addition to the squad. Lassana has over 50 games experience in the Dutch Eredivisie with Sparta Rotterdam and Vitesse.
18th January 2024, 17:55 - Niko Bretschneider (24) returns home as he signs with the German Regionalliga (4th tier) side Energie Cottbus. Niko played in 30 league games last season for FK Auda.
17th January 2024, 20:54 - RFS announces the signing of Dāvis Cucurs (RB). The 23-year-old pens a three-year deal with the Latvian Champions. Last season the former U-21 international scored three goals in 33 league games for Daugavpils.
17th January 2024, 12:16 - 2022 Virslīga champion Luka Silagadze (24) is the newest Liepāja addition. The well-known Georgian winger was a key part of the Jurģis Kalns-managed Valmiera champion team in 2022. Last season he played back at home in Georgia for Saburtalo.
16th January 2024, 22:36 - FK Liepāja announces that they have signed former Valmiera FC midfielder Fraj Kayramani (24). The Tunisian last season in 32 league games scored once and assisted five times for Valmiera.
15th January 2024, 15:03 - Rati Ardazishvili is the newest FK Liepāja addition. The 25-year-old Georgian winger played in Kazakhstan for Zhetsyu - 15 games in the highest league, scoring twice.
12th January 2024, 14:12 - Argentinian Left-back Ivan Erquiaga (24) is the newest addition to Riga FC. The 24-year-old last two seasons played for Quilmes in Primera Nacional (2nd tier).
11th January 2024, 23:09 - Latvian National team player Roberts Ozols after a year with FK Auda will continue his career in Uzbekistan. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has signed with the Uzbekistan highest league side Qizilqum.
11th January 2024, 17:25 - Riga FC and Peruvian CB Gustavo Dulanto (28) part ways. Gustavo was one of the big-money signings by the club in the summer of 2022. But he suffered an ACL injury in August of 2022 and never played for Riga again (just 8 games total).
11th January 2024, 15:00 - Georgian goalkeeper Luka Sanikidze (25) who was with FK Liepāja last season returns home to Georgia as he signs SFC Shturmi. Sanikidze made 13 appearances for Liepāja last season.
10th January 2024, 12:04 - Burkina Faso U-17 National team winger Ousmane Camara was announced as the new Riga FC signing.
10th January 2024, 12:00 - Vladislavs Kurakins officially signs with FK Liepāja. The 27-year-old goalkeeper after two good seasons in Daugavpils gets the pay raise and a move to Liepāja.
8th January 2024, 19:32 - FK Liepāja signed another player from FK Metta - this time 18-year-old Alans Kangars who is U-19 international and last season was a captain for SK Skanste who is playing in the Latvian second division.
8th January 2024, 19:22 - FS Jelgava announces that their new manager will be 40-year-old Latvian specialist Valērijs Redjko. Last season he played in 21 league games for Jelgava and interestingly also a caretaker manager for them in five games.
8th January 2024, 19:16 - Raivis Ķiršs (23) signs a contract with the Polish lower league side GKS Wikielec. The 23-year-old winger last season made 30 Virslīga appearances scoring 9 goals for FK Tukums 2000/Telms.
6th January 2024, 13:38 - Normunds Uldriķis (22) joins FK Liepāja. The young centre-back in an injury-riddled season made 18 apps for FK Metta in the league.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1743597919196881142
5th January 2024, 17:34 - Artjoms Puzirevskis (20) joins North Macedonian side GFK Tikves on loan from FK Metta. The Latvian U-21 international last season scored 10 league goals for Metta.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1743294861778784387
5th January 2024, 12:00 - FK Metta announces that Vladislavs Fjodorovs (27) and Gabriels Kirkils (22) have left the team. Vladislavs played in 29 games last season in Metta scoring twice, while Gabriels who has been in Metta academy since he was 12 years old played in 26 league games last season.
5th January 2024, 10:21 - Former RFS player Artūrs Zjuzins (32) signs with the Cypriot second league side Omonia Aradippou.
4th January 2024, 22:33 - Five more departures were announced by FK Auda. Latvian players Raivis Ķiršs (23) and Armands Pētersons (33). As well as foreign players - Senegalese Amadou Ndiaye, South Sudan international Manny Achol (23) and Brasilian Resende (23)
4th January 2024, 16:59 - Riga FC's first signing of the season was announced. The 25-year-old Argentinian midfielder Brian Orosco joins Riga FC on loan from Estudiantes. Brian last season played on loan in Argentinian Primera Nacional (2nd tier) for CD Morón - 3 goals and 6 assists in 29 games.
4th January 2024, 15:19 - FK Metta announces that their academy player Hugo Jesse (2006/DM) has signed a professional contract with the side.
4th January 2024, 15:10 - Former Valmiera FC wing-back Pape Yare Fall (23) has signed with FK Liepāja. The Senegalese player won the league title with Valmiera FC in 2022, last season played in 28 league games.
3rd January 2024, 15:00 - FK Metta announces that four players will leave the club as they will not be resigned. The Japanese attacking player Takaya Sasaki ( 8 games for Metta), Senegalese Yaya Camara (7 games for Metta), Latvian forward Deniss Stradiņš (6 games for Metta) and Dans Sirbu ( played in 9 games for FK Metta).
31st December 2023 - Did Fabrizio Romano breaks news about Riga FC? Yes, he tweeted that Burkina Faso Winger Ousmane Camara (2006) will sign with Riga FC. The young winger played for Burkina Faso in the U17 World Cup.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1741478070891012496
30th December 2023 - Vladislavs Sorokins (26) signs with the Kazakhstan highest league side Qyzyljar Petropavlosk.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1741073416549962178
29th December 2023 - FK Auda new manager is named - it is the 43-year-old Portuguese specialist Filipe Almeida who previously worked as an assistant for well-known Vitor Pereira in Brasilian powerhouse Corinthians and Turkish giants Fenerbache.
22nd December 2023 - German wing-back Niko Bretschneider (24) and Croatian centre-back Božo Mikulic (26) leave the team. Niko played in 30 league games last season while the almost two-metre-tall Croat in 25 league games last season.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1738176254161862965
16th December 2023 - FK Tukums 2000/Telms resigns key players. 23-year-old Bogdans Samoilovs who received his first call-up to the Latvian NT will stay in Tukums. DM Kaspars Anmanis (21) - 33 league games and 2 goals, CB Rūdolfs Reingolcs (21) - 25 league games last season and RB Atis Ozols (23) - 26 league games also will continue to play in Tukums for the 2024 season.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1735787114837549400
15th December 2023 - The promising 19-year-old goalkeeper Raivo Stūriņš after a great rookie season with FS Jelgava signs a deal with the Latvian bronze medalist FK Auda.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1735668532413686183
14th December 2023 - FK Auda manager Simo Valakari is named as the new Riga FC manager.
13th December 2023 - Riga FC departs with the manager Tomislav Stipic. The Croatian manager after blowing the league title will need to find a new job.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1734885638153900070
13th December 2023 - FK Auda announces that they have resigned four players from the previous season. CB Vjačeslavs Isajevs (30) - 30 games last season, CM Daniils Ulimbaševs (31) - 29 games and 3 goals, GK Niks Daniels Aleksandrovs (21) - 5 games last season and lastly CB Ivo Minkevičs (24) - 21 games for Auda last season.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1734714377587019947
25th November 2023 - The very next day RFS announced their first signing. And it is a huge one as the very talented Mārtiņš Ķigurs (ex-FK Liepāja) joins the squad. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder if healthy will be a quality signing, Mārtiņš suffered two serious long-term injuries which sidelined him since April of 2022.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1728392133533417633
24th November 2023 - The RFS record holder in matches played Vladislavs Sorokins also decides to move on from the Latvian champions. The Latvian international has played for RFS since the beginning and made 184 apps for them. The 26-year-old Left-back wants to try his luck abroad.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1728086735945355582
22nd November 2023 - Long-time RFS midfielder Artūrs Zjuzins becomes a free agent as he has been resigned by Latvian champions RFS. The 30-year-old midfielder in five seasons with RFS made 136 apps winning two league titles and twice the Latvian Cup.
https://twitter.com/LV_footballnews/status/1727386242042761467