Defending Slovenian champion NK Celje has announced the signing of Lithuanian defender Artemijus Tutyškinas from Polish second-division side LKS Lodz. He has secured a contract that will keep him with Celje until the end of the 2027/28 season.
The 21-year-old Artemijus has spent the last 2.5 years at LKS Lodz after the club acquired him from the Italian side Crotone for €200,000. He played a crucial role in helping Lodz achieve promotion to the Ekstraklasa in his first season. In the following season, he began to earn more playing time, but an injury sidelined him for nearly six months, and the team got relegated back to the Polish second division.
This season, he has made eight appearances for LKS Lodz in the second division, and reports from Poland indicate that NK Celje will pay €300,000 for the 21-year-old defender. Artemijus will team up with fellow Lithuanian Armandas Kucys, one of Celje’s standout players. In addition, Celje previously announced a long-term contract with striker Nino Noordanus, who came from the former A Lyga side FC Džiugas Telšiai.
“I’m happy to be here because I received a lot of positive feedback from Armandas about the team, the coach, and the club. Celje is very ambitious, which aligns with my own high expectations for myself. I am ready for this challenge. For the rest of the season, we will fight for the national and cup titles and aim to progress as far as possible in Europe. I want to help the team achieve its goals. It’s great that I joined at the beginning of preparations, allowing me ample time to integrate into the team. My prior experience playing abroad will ease my adaptation,” Tutyškinas said after signing me NK Celje.
Currently, the Slovenian league is on winter break, with Celje sitting in fourth place after half a season. They are eight points behind leaders NK Olimpija Ljubljana but just two points behind Maribor and Koper, who hold second and third place, respectively. The team’s first match after the winter break is scheduled for February 2nd, where they will host NK Bravo.
Source: https://www.nk-celje.si/sl/novica/artemijus-tutyskinas-dobrodosel-v-celju-2599