FK Panevėžys is strengthening its squad ahead of the new A Lyga season by signing Cypriot defender Strahinja Kerkez, who has agreed to a two-year contract with the Lithuanian club.
The 22-year-old Kerkez, who was born in Serbia, began his professional career at AEL Limassol, where he quickly demonstrated his talent before moving to LASK Linz in 2021 for a transfer fee.
After spending some time in Austria, Kerkez signed with Slovakian side Trenčín, although he only made four first-team appearances during his two seasons there. Last year, he joined the Bulgarian side Septemvri Sofia. While playing in the Bulgarian league, he was a teammate with current FK Panevėžys player Faustas Steponavičius.
Kerkez has represented Cyprus at the U-19 and U-21 national levels, most recently appearing for the U-21 team in October 2024.
As the first player in the club’s history from Cyprus, Kerkez shared his thoughts with the fk-panevezys.lt website: “I followed the Lithuanian championship because of my Lithuanian teammates and friends. One of the reasons I joined was that the club had become the champion and wanted to win every match. My goal is to give my best and help the team achieve its objectives. I feel physically fit and can’t wait for the season to start,” said Kerkez.
FK Panevėžys will kick off the Lithuanian A Lyga season on March 2nd with an away game against FA Šiauliai.
