Sir Estonia from zero to a Legacy

[Astonmatu]

Press Room: Aukštaitijos Stadionas (March 1, 2031)​

Journalist: Sir Martin, you come into 2031 off the back of consecutive domestic Trebles, an unprecedented 92-point league season, and that famous 2–1 night against Borussia Dortmund in Germany. You've already put away Sūduva 4–0 in the Supertaurė and taken three points off Hegelmann in round one. With WhoScored installing you at 1-4 odds-on favorites, what are your primary targets for the silverware this year?

Sir Martin: Hello . Look, domestically the standard here is set. Our aim is clear: win the league and win the cup if all goes well. We want to maintain that standard every single week, but where we really want to push our boundaries is on the continent. We must be competitive in Europe from day one. Our baseline objective is to reach the European League Phase once again, but we don't want to just participate anymore. The dream—the true target—is to pull off a miracle and reach the knockout phase. That would change everything for Baltic football.

Journalist: Behind the scenes, the club recently celebrated Phase II of the training complex upgrading to "Good" status. Is infrastructure work done, or are you still pushing the board?

Sir Martin: It is never done. The second crucial part of our long-term plan is to keep raising our youth recruitment, further improve our training facilities, and elevate our overall youth level. We have a great facility now, but if you want to compete with clubs like Young Boys, AZ, or Stuttgart year in and year out, your academy infrastructure has to match your ambition. We want the best teenagers across the Baltics and beyond to know that Panevėžys has elite developmental roots.

Journalist: You’ve brought in a remarkable amount of teenage talent—Shojaei, Hakala, Gombar, Doumbia, and your Estonian boys like Šalabai and Ütsik. How do you ensure they fulfill that massive potential?

Sir Martin: That brings us to our third priority: our coaching staff. We must continuously improve our coaches and refine our daily training sessions. When you work with 18- and 19-year-olds with five-star ceilings, generic training does not work. The sessions need to be tailored, intense, and tactically intelligent so we extract every ounce of ability from these talented youngsters.

Journalist: And when they hit that ceiling, what happens next? The fans have seen stars like Švéda, Camara, and Payet moved on for millions.

Sir Martin: That is simply the reality of our model, and it is the fourth pillar of what we do. We want to get the absolute best out of these talented youngsters on the pitch first. But if an offer comes in that matches their worth, we will sell—and then we reinvest immediately to replace them with new, even better players. That cycle is why our bank balance sits where it does and why the squad gets deeper every transfer window.

Journalist: To keep that pipeline flowing, scouting is obviously vital. Are there plans to expand beyond what you already have?

Sir Martin: Absolutely, that's our fifth focus. We have to constantly improve our scouting network and hire more great scouts. We’ve shown what happens when our network clicks—our recruitment in South America, Finland, Slovakia, and West Africa has delivered gems. But the global market moves fast. We need more top-level scouts on the ground identifying talent before the rest of Europe catches on.

Journalist: Finally, the terrace numbers have surged—average attendances hit 2,110 last season, and the Dortmund win created memories for a lifetime. What is your message to the supporters in Aukštaitija?

Sir Martin: Above all else, we are here to show great, entertaining football for our fans. When over 6,500 people pack this ground on European nights, or when they travel to Klaipėda and Vilnius to roar us on, they deserve to watch a team that plays on the front foot, scores goals, and fights with passion. We play for them, and we want to give them another unforgettable year