“Žalgiris” priority is a Lithuanian coach and a new vision

The Žalgiris boss, who held a press conference on Thursday, sent a thank you to the long-term coach leaving the team, who will continue his work for the Barcelona team.

According to P. Motiejūnas, together with Š. Jasikevičius should also raise his wings as part of his coaching staff, but the surnames remained nameless, according to the Žalgiris director, it is too early to discuss this at this time.

According to P. Motiejūnas, an effort will be made to find a new strategist as soon as possible, and he should be Lithuanian.

“We have options ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’. They will be negotiated. But because of the Lithuanian coach, our strategy does not change,” said the club boss.

However, “Žalgiris” will change the formation of the team, in which Š. Jasikevičius, principles.

While it shouldn’t be completely frozen, the club would like to coordinate decisions with the future Š. As the successor to Jasikevičius.

P. Motiejūnas did not provide specific deadlines within which he hopes to find him and extend the team puzzle.

He also admitted that fans will see a different game of “Žalgiris” and the organization of daily work in the future.

“I don’t think you can copy what Shar did, it was unique. You need to allow the new person to do the work according to their understanding. Then the team’s vision will definitely change,” said P. Motiejūnas.

The club director also claimed that Žalgiris would receive a ransom from the Catalans, unlike previous sources in Turkey. Although he did not provide the figures, Motiejūnas suggested that the amount would not be impressive.

“We may not go into the nuances, but Shar has never been a business project in terms of rescue,” said the team leader.

He also mentioned that Kaunas Club did not even try to compete financially with the offers of Barcelona and Istanbul Fenerbahche.

“They ask me if we try to offer more money and the like. The fact that we are not in Barcelona or Fenerbahce. In addition to salary, the entire team must be offered to the coach. We will remember Shar as an ambitious professional, and will always remain so. Above all, he wants to win the Euroleague. I think everyone understands who can do this faster, with “Žalgiris” or “Barcelona”. As for finances, opportunities to acquire the desired players and all other nuances, this is a club of a different caliber, ”admitted P. Motiejūnas.

– Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Žalgiris’ budget will decrease next season. Can it be said that Š. Has Jasikevičius’s salary become too heavy a burden for the club? – Delphi asked the head of Žalgiris

– No, it really wasn’t a problem. I have said many times that we could pay the entire budget only to Shar, only then will we have to find players who agree to play for a minimum. The coach was definitely not a burden, we all, both players and coaches, sat in the same boat, we counted. If there isn’t a second wave of the virus, if you allow to play with fans in the arena, it’s realistic enough to increase a budget that allows you to keep almost the same lineup. Now, of course, things are changing.

– Do you know which assistants will be taken to Barcelona by Š. Jasikevičius?

– There are languages, we know that not everyone will stay in Kaunas. We are waiting for solutions, but there will definitely be staff dating Shar. It’s your decision, so I don’t want to be the first to let it be said.

– What is the club’s priority when choosing a new coach?

– Lithuanian. The strategy does not change here, we want Lithuanian and we will talk to the Lithuanians first. We have already started talking. It wasn’t as if we were sitting and doing nothing. There are options “A”, “B” and “C” that will now be the subject of intense negotiations. I repeat, the priority is Lithuanian.

– It is possible to guess that one of the first candidates is Darius Maskoliūnas. The biggest problem for the club is its possible departure together with Š. Jasikevičius or work for the Lithuanian national team?

– I think the most important question is if he will stay here or go with the coach. At least from us.

– The club has already signed contracts with three newcomers. How will the assembly process continue?

“Those three newcomers won’t really bother, the contracts with them have been signed since Shar can leave. It is important to understand that the principles of the assembly will change now. Shar was the leader around whom we glued everything. We will not find another coach of the same guy who changes Shar equally, so all club policy has to change.

– Many of last season’s team players have so-called “perks” in their contracts. Will decisions to activate them be held until a new coach is announced?

– Talk to all players. Some have passed and others are still in negotiations. No matter who the coach is, these are the commitments we have made in advance. We will also talk to potential coaches on this topic, but our common wish is for existing players to stay, if they just want to. But maybe we won’t go into details of specific cases now, we will let you know when we are done.

– One of those players – Lukas Lekavičius?

– yeah But I asked without details (laughs – Delphi)

– How much. Can the loss of Jasikevičius complicate negotiations with potential newcomers?

– I don’t think it will make it more difficult. Shar was the one who collected everything, and our task was not to interfere and help him get what he wanted. Now a new stage, a new coach. As I said, the priorities for the assembly will be a little different. Perhaps not all newcomers are so young and inexperienced that they can quickly get used to the new system. We may be looking for the most experienced newcomers. We will have to adjust because we will not really find a coach who gives the same thing that Shar gave.

But our organization is stable, we have amazing fans. Let us hope that their support does not disappear and we move forward. That was the case the entire time.