by Frank Marr
The Baltic summer window did not splash like Europe’s giants, but there has been no shortage of smart, season-defining moves. Here’s who is already making waves — by league.
Estonia — Premium liiga
Paide Linnameeskond’s reunion with Henri Anier was more than a sentimental homecoming. At 34, the Estonia centurion arrives from Hong Kong with 88 top-flight goals to his name and a reputation for sharp movement in the box. He needed just three appearances across league and Europe to get off the mark, and in Paide’s more vertical system he has even been spotted pressing high – registering over three high regains per match.
Over in Tallinn, Carlos Torres has settled into Levadia’s midfield as if born for it. Fresh from Levante’s U19s, the 18-year-old son of Levadia’s head coach Curro Torres announced himself with a left-footed equaliser in the Conference League qualifier against Iberia 1999 and posted a 92 per cent pass completion from the ‘8’ role. Levadia, already league leaders, suddenly have a tempo-setting midfielder who counts towards UEFA’s home-grown quota.
Nõmme Kalju’s Mattias Männilaan, a 1.90m striker returning from Gibraltar, wasted no time imposing himself. His towering header against St Patrick’s Athletic in Europe put Kalju two up and underlined what the club had been missing – an aerial focal point in the big moments. Three goals from 350 minutes is not a bad start.
Lithuania – A Lyga
In Vilnius, Liviu Antal is proving that 36 is just a number. The former Žalgiris hero returned and promptly scored the winner against Ħamrun Spartans in the Champions League qualifiers. Two goals in his first five matches have helped haul Žalgiris from sixth to fourth.
Gaston “Chapi” Romano brought his South American swagger to Džiugas Telšiai at the tail end of the window, replacing outgoing playmaker Vermeulen. In Portugal’s Liga 2 last season, the Argentine averaged more than five progressive passes per game; on debut in Lithuania, he hit ten line-breakers as Džiugas claimed a 2-1 win.
For FK Kauno Žalgiris, Rokas Lekiatas may yet prove the understated signing of the summer. The former Universitatea Craiova centre-back won every aerial duel and made eight recoveries on his league bow, giving Kauno the tactical flexibility to flip into a back three for continental fixtures without losing defensive steel.
Latvia – Virslīga
The largest fee of the Baltic summer around €500,000 belonged to RFS and their capture of Tayrell Wouter from Apollon Limassol. The Surinamese winger, with 40 career goals and 18 assists, injects the pace and direct 1-v-1 threat RFS had been missing.
In the same window, defending Champions also secured Strahinja Rakić, a Serbia U21 international who has gone straight into their Champions League qualifying XI. His 87 per cent completion rate under pressure and six progressive passes per 90 minutes have lifted the club’s midfield xThreat from 0.86 to 1.04.
FK Auda’s answer to the sale of Emīls Birka to Riga FC was to bring in Iván Erquiaga, an Argentine left-back who wasted no time, seven shot-creating actions in two Conference League ties against Larne and a 35 per cent crossing accuracy that ranks second in the division.
As for Birka himself, he has taken his supply line to Riga FC, where he now leads the league with nine assists (0.43 per 90) and provides a valuable domestic-quota option during their European campaign.
At the other end of the table, Tukums’ survival hopes could rest on Atsushi Kurokawa. The Japanese attacker, with top-flight J-League experience, brings an unpredictability in the final third that could prove the difference in a relegation fight.
If the early signs hold, the Baltic summer of 2025 may be remembered not for lavish spending sprees but for a series of smart, well-judged moves – the kind that, come spring, could be the difference between a trophy parade and another year of what-ifs.
