FC Džiugas Telšiai recently announced the signing of five new players. Among them are two Ukrainian newcomers from the Latvian market, while the other three are experienced Lithuanian players, headlined by Karolis Šilkaitis, who has played over 200 games in the A Lyga, and former Lithuanian national team member Simonas Urbys.
Simonas Urbys, a 29-year-old attacking player, spent the last two seasons with FA Šiauliai, where he made 59 appearances and scored two goals. Throughout his career, Urbys has played for several clubs, including FK Banga, FK Ekranas, FK Palanga, both Žalgiris teams and FK Sūduva, accumulating 187 appearances in the A Lyga and scoring 22 goals.
Another experienced A Lyga player joining Džiugas is midfielder Karolis Šilkaitis. The 28-year-old, who can also play as a left-back or right-back, spent the last six seasons at FK Kauno Žalgiris, where he was mostly a starting player. However, he was limited to 15 appearances last season due to an injury that sidelined him for almost four months. Over his career, Šilkaitis has made 226 appearances in the A Lyga, scoring nine goals.
The third Lithuanian player joining Telšiai is 23-year-old Vilius Piliukaitis. He played for FK Banga Gargždai for the last two seasons and won the Lithuanian Cup in 2024. Piliukaitis had a strong year last season, making 38 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals, and providing six assists.
Džiugas has also signed Ukrainian player Oleksandr Kurtsev. The 22-year-old winger, a product of the Metalist 1925 academy, has played for FK Metta in the Latvian Virslīga for the last two years. In the 2024 season, he made 23 league appearances, scoring three goals.
Lastly, another Ukrainian player, 19-year-old right-back Oleksandr Chernozub, is joining Džiugas on loan from FK Liepāja. Chernozub joined Liepāja before last season but did not make an official appearance for the team. He was loaned to AFA Olaine, a second-tier side in Latvia, during the summer, where he made ten appearances.