Lithuanian youth international Sidas Praleika has completed a move from FK Banga to Czech second division club MFK Karvina, signing a long-term contract with the club.
The 19-year-old central midfielder leaves Lithuania for the first foreign move of his career after establishing himself as one of the biggest young breakthroughs in the Toplyga this season.
Praleika made 23 league appearances for Banga this season, scoring twice and providing two assists. His performances caught the attention of Karvina, with sporting director Lubomir Vlk highlighting the midfielder’s long-term potential.
“Sidas is a young and promising player. We identified him because we see good potential for the future,” Vlk said. “The important thing now will be for him to settle into the team.”
The midfielder has already joined his new teammates and will wear the number 20 shirt at Karvina. Praleika said he took several days to consider the move before deciding it was the right next step in his career.
“I’m very happy to have joined the team so quickly. I hope Karvina will soon start to feel like my new home,” he said. “I didn’t think about the offer for weeks, but I did take a few days because I wanted to be sure I was making the right decision. That makes me even more excited now for training and matches.”
Karvina finished eighth in the Czech top flight last season, but were administratively relegated to the FNL by the Ethics Committee of the Czech Football Association over alleged match-fixing. They have responded strongly to the setback and currently lead the second division with 15 points from their opening seven matches.
Source: https://www.mfkkarvina.cz/clanek.asp?id=Mladi-vpredSidas-Praleika-je-novym-hracem-Karvine-9645
