Chennaiyin FC will complete a free transfer of their former striker Nerijus Valskis, reports The Bridge. The Lithuanian is expected to rejoin the side until the end of this season and will be available to play from their next fixture. Valskis, who had joined Jamshedpur before the start of the last season, scored 10 times in 24 games for the club.
But Valskis’ major success came with the South Indian franchise, having scored 15 times in just 20 appearances. His move to Jamshedpur happened in August 2020, shortly after head coach Owen Coyle joined the Red Miners from Chennaiyin. The 34-year-old has looked slightly unsettled this season in the high-scoring setup of the Jamshedpur unit.
Chennaiyin have been looking for a striker to add more firepower to the final third, which made them look back towards one of their star players. The Marina Machans then decided to open negotiations with the player who finished as the highest goal-scorer for them in his first season, getting a five-month contract signed within no time.
While the former Super League champions have been in decent enough form, the goals have dried out with the absence of Brazilian Rafael Crivellaro.
He suffered a muscle blow in January and is expected to miss a lot of games this season, which prompted the club to head into the market. The midfielder will not feature in the league this season, and the club are considering releasing him.
Crivellaro and Valskis arrived in the same season for the club and wreaked havoc with their partnership, creating an instant attacking threat that all clubs took notice of. Valskis was not the first-choice striker in the high-scoring Jamshedpur setup, which made him open to a move away from the club.
Chennaiyin currently find themselves sixth on the points table, not far away from the top four slots. They have mustered 11 points in eight games and have looked pretty wayward right from the outset this season. Valskis’ transfer can spark a bit of change going forward for the club, potentially bringing about some success.
