The 23-year-old Latvian forward Raimonds Krollis will continue his career in Czechia after top-flight club Slovan Liberec announced the signing of the player on a 3.5-year contract from the Italian side Spezia Calcio.
Two years ago, Raimonds won both the top goalscorer title and the Virslīga title with Valmiera FC, which led to his transfer to Serie A side Spezia Calcio for around 1.5 million euros. He became the first Latvian player to compete in Serie A, and expectations were high.
Unfortunately, the move proved too challenging for Raimonds, as he spent most of his time on the bench, and Spezia was relegated to Serie B. In the following season, he had limited playing time at Spezia and was loaned to Czech second-division club Vyškov in January 2024, where he made 12 appearances and scored five goals.
Raimonds returned to Italy but was once again loaned out, this time to Triestina. During his 14 games there, he did not score a single goal; however, his time at Triestina is more remembered for a particularly significant incident. His loan was terminated a few days ago, and now Raimonds is eager for a fresh start, leaving behind a disappointing chapter in Italy. He is set to join Slovan Liberec for approximately 300,000 euros.
Raimonds returns to Czechia, where he caught the attention of the current Slovan Liberec general manager, Jan Nezmar. Nezmar stated, “Raimonds impressed us with his typology and disposition during his time at Vyškov. We also observed him during training sessions and have information about his approach and work ethic. We wanted to acquire him in the summer, but it was impossible under rational conditions; the opportunity only arose now.”
Raimonds, pleased to be leaving Italy, acknowledged that the transition to Serie A was a significant challenge. “Moving to Italy was a big leap for me. I became the first Latvian footballer to play in Serie A, but Italian football didn’t work out for me. I’m happy that I can now be at Slovan,” said the 23-year-old striker.
His goals are clear: “I would like to demonstrate my talent in the Czech top league. I will do my best and hope to score as many goals as possible,” added Raimonds.
Currently, Slovan Liberec sits in 11th place in the Czech top league, which has 16 teams, with 24 points. On Saturday, they will travel to Plzeň to face the second-place team, Viktoria Plzeň.