The assembly of the new violet-clad mosaic begins. Before the beginning of the summer preparatory period and the 2023/24 project, we have already pulled our first personnel-related moves as we confirm the arrival of two newbies, the first of whom needs no introduction: Blaž Vrhovec is back! The experienced midfielder will be joined by youthful enthusiasm in the defence line, with the arrival of the 19-year-old member of the Slovenian national team Mark Strajnar who comes to Ljudski vrt from Domžale. Both signed three-year contracts. Vrhovec chose jersey no. 4, while Strajnar will be donning jersey no. 3.
“Let this be a prelude to other colourful, interesting events. Their arrival has been in the works for quite some time, we were only waiting for the last details to come together in order to arrange both transfers. Blaž Vrhovec is coming back to the club as someone you can rely on. He will fill the gap in the midfielder line and will also play an important role, both on the pitch and in the locker room, due to his character. He is a sure value and an excellent solution in various areas. After Sikošek’s injury, which caused his prolonged absence, we also needed another solution on the left side of the defence line as well as some competition for Guerrico. We opted for Mark Strajnar, a young member of the Slovenian national team with lots of potential for the future. Despite the fact that other clubs were also interested in acquiring him, the decision was merely a matter of a short discussion, just like when it comes to Blaž, about our requests and another important message: Mark wanted to come to Maribor. They will start preparing with the team; next week, we will reveal our next moves when it comes to the transformation of our team. Three, perhaps even four other arrivals are planned. We are focusing on an attacker, an offensive midfielder and a winger. Considering that we might also lose a player, we will perhaps also have to find a new solution when it comes to the stopper position,” says the Sports Director Marko Šuler as activities begin in the football marketplace.
Five and a half years and 186 violet-clad matches. Two championship titles (2017 and 2019) and a contribution to the third (the autumn part of the 2021/22 season) as well as the preliminary part of the Champions League (2017). He gave it his all during every single training session, match and other task.
“It’s great to come back and see all those familiar faces. I got a heartfelt welcome from the representatives of the club and other members of the staff that were already there when I left. I’m looking forward to new football challenges and I cannot wait for the preparatory period to start. I hope we’ll be just as successful as before, or perhaps even more. I learned some new lessons in the meantime. Everything that happened has only made me stronger, in many respects, and this period abroad definitely helped me,” says the 31-year-old midfielder who comes back to Ljudski vrt after two gruelling experiences in Cyprus (Anorthosis) and Poland (Gornik Zabrze).
“I left the team halfway through. The lads have won the well-deserved championship title after that. One of my main objectives now is to bring back the title to where it belongs. This is definitely one of our priorities for the next season.”
Mark Strajnar has played his first 24 Premier League matches as a teenager in the Domžale jersey. He is particularly eager to take the next step on his violet-clad development path: “I feel wonderful. I’m extremely happy to be here. I’m aware that I’ve got big shoes to fill, seeing as Gregor Sikošek’s injury is also part of the reason why I’m here. I’ll do my best to live up to their trust and contribute my share; I hope I’ll experience some happy moments in Maribor. Here, the bar is always set extremely high. This is the club with the most trophies and an incredible winning mentality, so I cannot wait for this new story to begin. I know some of the lads from the youth selection or from Domžale, which will definitely help me adjust. I would like to connect with all of my teammates as soon as possible; the summer preparatory period is an excellent opportunity to get into the groove. For this new chapter in my career, I chose jersey no. 3 since number 33 is retired in Ljudski vrt, which is why I decided to keep my first number.”
Šturm, Gorenak, Bobarić and Alijagić are leaving
The Sports Director points out that a very interesting summer transfer window is upon us. Our next personnel-related news regards departures.
“When we agreed to bring Strajnar into our midst, we also arranged for a reverse transfer, so to speak, since Danijel Šturm who contributed to Aluminij’s return into the Premier League is moving to Domžale. In addition, Gal Gorenak and Belmin Bobarić have also completed their violet-clad story. During this past season, they were on loan to Aluminij and Triglav, respectively; now, we have agreed on a termination of their contracts by mutual consent, and we wish them both a successful continuation in their new environments. As we already announced, Rok Kronaveter, Rok Sirk and Rok Maher are no longer our members since their contracts expired; furthermore, Altin Kryeziu also left our midst. Denis Alijagić will not be joining our team this season, since we have not decided to provide him with the possibility of signing a new contract, meaning he will be returning to Olympiacos. We will find another solution for the end line,” explains Marko Šuler.
Awaiting Marko Božić’s return
In terms of putting together a team for the new season, another spot will soon be filled since Marko Božić is probably coming back to Ljudski vrt. His status, however, will change.
“I believe that we are close to concluding a deal according to which he will leave Frosinone and join us on our training sessions as soon as possible. He will no longer be on loan, however; this time, he’ll conclude a contract with NK Maribor. We will try to arrange as few loans as possible in order for us to be able to completely control the situation. Sometimes, you also have to accept other possibilities if you want to make your wishes come true, which is why we might accept one or two loans when it comes to our future arrivals,” added the Sports Director.