Shum zips in for Zutautas

Less than a month after being appointed Panathinaikos FC coach, Itzhak Shum has raided former club Maccabi Haifa FC to sign defensive midfield player Raimondas Zutautas for a fee in the region of €250,000.

Aiming to succeed
The 30-year-old Lithuania captain has signed a one-year contract with the option of another season in Athens. "My goal is to succeed at Panathinaikos," said Zutautas, who was signed by Maccabi Haifa in the summer of 1999. "We Lithuanians have to prove that we are competent not only at basketball but football too."

Memorable goal
Zutautas played for five different clubs in his native country between 1993 and 1996 and subsequently appeared for the likes of FC Spartak Moskva and Newcastle United FC. He scored a memorable goal against Manchester United FC in last season's UEFA Champions League and is a regular in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying for Lithuania, impressing Panathinaikos scouts in the process.