The remarkable link between Juanjo Nieto and Amir Saipi before Castellón reunion | OneFootball

Amir Saipi has joined CD Castellón from Lugano to replace Amir Abedzadeh, intensifying competition for the No 1 spot and setting up a reunion with Juanjo Nieto.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, Castellón paid a significant fee and are thought to have beaten Amed, newly promoted in Türkiye, who had offered around €1m. Abedzadeh is set to terminate his deal after limited minutes.

The Kosovo international, 26, has signed until 2030 and stands 194 centimetres. He joins a group featuring Romain Matthys and academy graduate Sergi Torner, and trained at the Ciudad Deportiva de la Coma.

Born in Schaffhausen, he came through Schaffhausen, Winterthur and Grasshopper before stepping up to Lugano in 2021. He has represented Kosovo in the Nations League and 2026 World Cup qualifying, made 180 Lugano appearances with 47 clean sheets, won the Swiss Cup in 2022 and reached the Europa Conference League last 16 in 2024/2025. Last season he posted a 76.1% save rate, with 83 saves and 26 goals conceded in 2,070 minutes, and completed 54.1% of his long passes.

Saipi said he was happy to be at Castellón and eager for the challenge, adding that if they perform well they could fight for something nice.

Nieto and Saipi met four times in 2025, Celje against Lugano. In March’s Conference League last 16, Celje won 1-0 in Slovenia, then Lugano edged a 5-4 after extra time, making it 5-5 on aggregate, before Celje advanced 3-1 on penalties. Nieto struck a 97th-minute equaliser for 4-4 from distance, and despite Lugano leading again on 118, Celje held on.

They crossed paths again in August’s third qualifying round. Celje won 5-0 in Switzerland, Lugano replied 4-2 in Slovenia, but Celje progressed 7-4 on aggregate. Across the quartet, Saipi conceded 12, with Nieto scoring once and winning both ties.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo