Estonian bronze medallists Nõmme Kalju have announced the signing of midfielder Aleksander Iljin on a long-term contract. The 23-year-old joins the club after spending the past few seasons with FC Kuressaare.
Iljin enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025, making 36 league appearances for Kuressaare and scoring six goals. Over three seasons with the island-based club, he featured in 109 matches across all competitions, finding the net 13 times.
Nõmme Kalju head coach Nikita Andrejev spoke highly of the club’s new signing, highlighting both his character and versatility:
“Aleksander is a player with a fighter’s mentality, strong character, good physical attributes and an excellent work ethic. He is versatile, capable of playing in several positions, and is quick and aggressive both on and off the ball. Although he is still young, he already has considerable experience in the Premium Liiga. We are confident that he will increase competition within the squad, bring a lot of energy to training and matches, and help Kalju achieve its sporting objectives,” Andrejev told the club’s media team.
Iljin, a graduate of the FC Flora academy who never made his senior debut for the first team, expressed his excitement about joining Kalju:
“I am very happy to join Kalju. For me, this is a big step in my career and strong motivation to work even harder every day. I thank the club for their trust. To the fans, I want to say that our goals are shared – to fight for victories and trophies. There is a lot of work ahead, and I am ready to give my maximum so that together with the team we can bring joy, emotions and big wins,” said the new Kalju midfielder.
Iljin becomes Nõmme Kalju’s first signing of the offseason. The team is already actively preparing for the new campaign, with their first pre-season friendly scheduled for Saturday against Viimsi JK.
