Ahead of the clash against FK Sūduva Marijampolė, FK Kauno Žalgiris held a press conference to present its 2026 season budget. Club president Mantas Kalnietis expressed his satisfaction with the financial growth.
“We are very pleased to say that this is a record budget for the club. Compared to last year, it has grown by nearly a third, which gives us the opportunity to bring in better and more qualified players. We can also invest more in marketing and communication. The start of the season already suggests that this is not just spending money, but a long-term investment. These developments are encouraging, and it’s great to see the club growing,” said Kalnietis.
The president also elaborated on the club’s financial structure and hinted at a potential addition to the squad.
“There is always a reserved portion of the budget for scenarios where things don’t go according to plan. Although the team is largely complete, we remain active in the market. I mentioned the squad is complete, but in reality, we are still looking for one key player: a true striker. Together with the coach and sporting director, we don’t want to sign just anyone. We prefer to wait for the right option. Someone who can strengthen us in European competitions. We need a physical, tall forward who can finish attacks,” he explained.
Kalnietis also spoke about the club’s youth development system.
“Since joining FK Kauno Žalgiris, I have always wanted us to build a strong youth program that would allow us to develop players for the first team. I believe we have made significant progress in that direction this year. We have created opportunities not only for talents from Kaunas but also for promising young players from across Lithuania to join our system,” he said.
He emphasized the club’s holistic approach to youth development.
“The most important thing, in my view, is that the work is being done professionally. Young players train several times a day, and we strive to ensure their education is not negatively affected. We are also addressing accommodation issues. Above all, we aim to teach not just football, but life lessons,” Kalnietis added.
Finally, the club president shared his ambitions for the season.
“I closely follow everything happening in Lithuanian football. I was raised to believe there should always be a rivalry between Kaunas and Vilnius. We are a sports city. Everything starts from zero, but we will grow, compete, and we will win. Our goals are simple: we want to win everything in Lithuania. We also want to play attractive football, as we aim to move away from the traditional Lithuanian football mentality. We want to attack, score goals, and attract fans with our style of play,” he concluded.
Source: https://zalgiris.lt/naujienos/fk-kauno-zalgiris-surenge-2026-m-sezono-biudzeto-pristatymo-konferencija
