Baltic Football News

Alytus shopping spree: Dainava add three players to squad

Image credit: FK Riteriai

DFK Dainava Alytus announced the signing of three players within the space of 14 hours, adding Nikoloz Chikovani, Francis Eusebio Mbaki and Marko Pavlovski to the squad.

DFK Dainava Alytus continue to bolster their squad as they prepare for their 2025 A Lyga campaign, adding two midfielders and a left-back to the team.

Nikoloz Chikovani (19) is coming over on a one-season loan from the Latvian side FK Liepāja. A product of the Dinamo Tbilisi academy, the young left-back came to Latvia last summer but failed to make an impression with the Latvian club. He is now going to have a chance to prove himself with Dainava. We have previously reported on Chikovani at the end of January here.

Francis Eusebio Mbaki (25) is joining as a free agent, having been released by his previous club – the French La Roche Vendée – in September 2024. His separation from La Roche was not without controversy, as the club’s president Christope Chabot complained about the lack of form and poor off-the-pitch attitude of the Congolese winger. Mbaki will now have a chance to prove himself in Lithuania.

Marko Pavlovski (31) is also joining as free agent, having last played for Ararat Yerevan until last September. Experienced Serbian former U-21 international will be familiar to followers of A Lyga, having previously represented FK Riteriai and FK Sūduva from 2021 to 2023. He won the Lithuanian Super Cup in 2022 with Sūduva.

DFK Dainava Alytus is one of two clubs that are supposed to take part in the 2025 A Lyga season but are yet to secure the necessary license from the LFF. The other one is Riteriai.