© EuroFootball.com
Vilnius city football league team "Žalgiris" defender Pavel Komolovas is leaving for Greece. The 24-year-old Russian has been loaned to the "Veria" club.
P. Komolovas is moving to another club on loan basis not for the first time. In the 2011 season, the footballer left Vilnius for the Belchatovo GKS team in Poland.
In 2010, from the St. Petersburg "Zenit" reserve team, where he was the team captain, P. Komolovas arrived to the Lithuanian capital and spent four seasons with "Žalgiris."
Wearing the green and white uniform, the defender became a Lithuanian champion, won the LFF Cup and LFF Super Cup twice, was voted the best player of the season by "Žalgiris" fans in 2010.
As a legionary from Russia, P. Komolovas ranks second in the number of official matches played for the Vilnius city football league team "Žalgiris" (115), only behind Egidijus Vaitkūnas (121). Representing the Lithuanian champions, P. Komolovas scored 20 goals.
"We are very happy about this turn in the footballer's career. It will be an opportunity for him to face new challenges. It's nice to see that clubs from such strong leagues are interested in our players," said "Žalgiris" sports director Mindaugas Nikoličius.
"P. Komolovas has left a deep mark in the history of our league. He is a player who not only matured in Vilnius but also became one of the symbols of "Žalgiris" revival. However, it is normal that now is the time when a player who has won everything in Lithuania sets new goals for himself.
"Veria" club is an excellent choice. Its manager, Georgios Arvanitidis, agreed to our rental terms. We will decide on P. Komolovas's future this summer," M. Nikoličius said.
The Žalgiris player moving to the strongest league in Greece will face a hot second half of the season. "Veria" is currently in second-to-last position in the league table with 18 teams, with only six points behind the seventh place.
In Greece, as usual in recent seasons, the local front is dominated by the "Olympiacos" club, which has advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals (17 wins in 19 games, 53 points).
The most difficult situation is faced by the players of the "Aris" team (11 points). The three teams holding the last three places in the league will be relegated to a lower division.
