FK Žalgiris has named Grzegorz Mańkowski as sporting director, alongside Polish scouts Piotr Rutkowski and Piotr Sidorowicz who are moving to the Vilnius club from Jagiellonia Białystok.
In his new position, Mańkowski will establish the club’s athletic direction, determine roster-construction requirements, and direct recruitment. He takes over the post from Giedrius Klevinskas, who had occupied the position since November of the previous year. Žalgiris noted that a determination regarding Klevinskas’s upcoming position will be announced shortly.
Mindaugas Kasperūnas, the director, stated that the club opted for alterations due to unhappiness with its performance in domestic tournaments during the current season. Kasperūnas further mentioned that Žalgiris will allocate additional funds toward recruitment, having chosen the Jagiellonia personnel due to their background in discovering talent and achieving success under relatively modest budgets.
Jagiellonia secured the Polish championship for the inaugural time in 2024 and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Conference League in 2025. Over that timeframe, the club additionally transferred players to squads located in Portugal, the United States, and Austria. Mańkowski commenced his professional journey in England, serving within the academies and organizations of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion, and Aston Villa. He came to Jagiellonia as a scout in 2021, advanced to head of scouting in 2022, and assumed oversight of player acquisition during the summer.
Among the athletes previously suggested by Mańkowski are Afimico Pululu, who topped the scoring charts in the 2024-25 Conference League, Dominik Marczuk, recognized as the premier young athlete in the Polish league, and Nené, a Portuguese midfielder. Pululu subsequently transferred to Saudi Arabia, while Marczuk currently competes in the United States.
Rutkowski, who became part of Jagiellonia in 2020, will direct the scouting division at Žalgiris. His duties will encompass structuring the scouts’ activities, establishing criteria for player evaluation, and merging data evaluation with video and in-person scouting. Furthermore, he will direct the implementation of analytics and artificial intelligence within the recruitment process.
Sidorowicz, a scout at Jagiellonia starting in 2024, will evaluate game recordings, metrics, and athletic indicators of players. Additionally, he will track young Lithuanian athletes and youth competitions.
Expressing his enthusiasm, Mańkowski stated that he is very pleased to become part of Žalgiris, an organization recognized throughout the region for its heritage, dedicated fanbase, and high goals. He added that he trusts their expertise and background can be utilized to uncover fresh talent and assist the squad in striving for top-tier outcomes in the upcoming season.
Žalgiris is scheduled to wrap up its Toplyga season on November 8th with an away match against Gargždai. The team has locked down a spot in next year’s UEFA tournaments, with its ultimate league standing—falling anywhere from second to fourth place—yet to be finalized.
SOURCE NAME: balticfootballnews.com
Source: balticfootballnews.com
