Etnik Brruti signs for Hajduk: the young midfielder is the first reinforcement of the new sporting policy at Poljud
Etnik Brruti is Hajduk’s new player. The Split club announced on 29 May 2026 that the 22-year-old midfielder had signed a contract until the summer of 2029 and that he was arriving at Poljud as a free agent after his contract with Kosovar first-division side Malisheva expired. This confirmed what had been suggested in football circles as early as April, when Brruti was linked with a move to Split, while some media reported that an agreement had already been reached. According to Hajduk’s official announcement, he is a player who should increase competition in midfield, especially in the attacking midfielder position. At the same time, this is the first incoming deal associated with the new period of sporting management at Poljud under sporting director Robert Graf.
Contract until 2029 and arrival without a transfer fee
In its official announcement, Hajduk stated that Brruti is arriving without a transfer fee, after his contract with Malisheva, a club competing in the Kosovar championship, had expired. For the club from Poljud, such a business model has clear sporting and financial logic: the player arrives without a transfer fee, while a contract until the summer of 2029 provides enough time for adaptation, development and a possible increase in market value. This type of reinforcement fits into the direction the club began to announce with the arrival of the new sporting director, with an emphasis on more rational squad management and the search for players with room for improvement. Although the arrival itself does not carry the financial risk that a transfer involving a fee would bring, Brruti’s sporting impact still has to be confirmed in a stronger and different competitive environment. The Croatian league will be a new step forward for him, and Hajduk will expect him to gradually impose himself in the competition for the first team.
According to the data published by Hajduk, Brruti was born on 4 March 2004, and began his football journey in the youth categories of Prishtina. In senior football, he played for Besa Peje and Malisheva, and he has behind him a season in which he made a total of 35 appearances for Malisheva, scored nine goals and registered five assists. Earlier media reports, published before the official confirmation of the transfer, highlighted his productivity in the final phase of attacks and the fact that, as a midfielder, he managed to stand out with goals and assists. In its own announcement, Hajduk does not present him as a ready-made leader of the team’s play, but as a young player who still needs to continue his development. That wording itself shows that Brruti is expected to contribute, but also to go through a period of adaptation to a new league, teammates, club demands and the pressure that comes with playing at Poljud.
Graf: an important addition to the squad and competition in the attacking midfield line
Sporting director Robert Graf stated in the official comment that Hajduk is very pleased to welcome Brruti and that the club is looking forward to following his development in the coming seasons. According to Hajduk’s announcement, Graf described the new midfielder as a player who, in his previous league, was considered one of the most talented young footballers, with great potential and room for improvement. He particularly emphasized that his arrival represents an important addition to the squad, with the aim of deepening competition in the first team. The same statement noted that Brruti is being brought in to strengthen competition in the attacking midfielder position. That is an important nuance, because it suggests that the club does not see him only as a broad central midfielder, but as a footballer who should operate closer to the final third of the pitch.
Graf’s statement fits into his earlier public appearances after taking over the role of sporting director. In mid-April, Hajduk announced that Pole Robert Graf was the new sporting director and that he had replaced Goran Vučević in that position. The club then stated that Graf was arriving after a mutual termination of his contract with LKS Lodz, where he held the position of vice-president for sport. At his presentation at Poljud, Chairman of the Management Board Ivan Bilić said, according to the club’s official announcement, that the goals for the next season were competitiveness, fighting for trophies in domestic competitions and reaching the group stage of a European competition. At the same conference, Graf emphasized that Hajduk has an identity, a large fan base, a quality academy and ambition, but also that the sporting sector must work smartly, especially in scouting. Brruti’s arrival is therefore the first visible signal of such an approach in the transfer window.
Brruti: I am happy to be part of Hajduk
After signing the contract, according to Hajduk’s announcement, Brruti himself said that he was happy and proud to play for a club with a rich history. He pointed out that he could hardly wait to begin his period in Split, meet his teammates, the fans and the people at the club. He also stated that he had watched Hajduk’s matches and that he knew the team had many quality players, with the desire to contribute himself in the future. He specifically mentioned that he was aware that several players from Albania and Kosovo had played for Hajduk in the past. According to his words, he spoke with some of them and received positive impressions about the club, the environment and the fans.
Such statements are a common part of presenting a new player, but in this case they also have a wider context. Brruti is coming from a league that is less exposed to the European public than the Croatian one, so the transfer to Hajduk represents an important professional step for him. Poljud brings a different level of pressure, media visibility and expectations, especially when it comes to a young player arriving as the first reinforcement of a new sporting cycle. At Hajduk, he will have to fight for minutes in competition with players who already know the demands of the domestic championship and the club environment. At the same time, the contract until 2029 shows that the club views his arrival in the longer term, not merely as a short-term addition to the squad. For Brruti, the first months in Split will therefore be important for adaptation, physical preparation and understanding the tactical demands of the coaching staff.
From announcement to official confirmation
Brruti’s arrival is not a surprise because his name appeared in the context of Hajduk as early as April. Dalmatinski portal then reported that the 22-year-old midfielder was expected to become a new Hajduk player and that he would arrive at Poljud as a free agent after his contract with Malisheva expired. The same media outlet stated that Brruti watched the Hajduk and Osijek match from the Poljud VIP box in the company of manager Eros Grezda. Reports at the time also mentioned that Malisheva were at that moment the fourth-placed team in the Kosovar league, while Brruti’s figures in the championship confirmed that he was a midfielder who could take part in the final phase of attacks. A few days later, Sportklub reported that the latest information pointed to a three-year contract with the Split club, but at that time it was still emphasized that there had been no official confirmation. Hajduk’s official announcement of 29 May 2026 closed that part of the story and confirmed that the contract had indeed been signed until the summer of 2029.
Such a sequence of events shows that the transfer had been prepared before it was publicly confirmed. In modern football, especially with players whose contracts are expiring, negotiations are often conducted months before official registration and presentation. For clubs, this is a way to reduce transfer-fee costs, while for players it is an opportunity to agree on the next step in their careers in good time. In Hajduk’s case, Brruti’s arrival is also interesting because it happened immediately after a change in the sporting sector. Although media reports mentioned that the deal had been announced even before official confirmation, the club now presents it as part of the current squad-building process for the new season. Brruti thus becomes the first concrete incoming transfer in a period in which Graf will have to align ambitions, the financial framework and the need to strengthen the team.
What Brruti can bring to Hajduk’s midfield
According to Hajduk’s description, Brruti is primarily an attacking midfielder, which means he should operate between the midfield line and the attack. His figures from last season, nine goals and five assists in 35 appearances, indicate a player who joins the final phase and can have concrete statistical output. Still, numbers achieved in the Kosovar championship cannot be automatically transferred to the SuperSport HNL, where he will face a different rhythm, greater tactical demands and stronger public pressure. That is precisely why it is important that Graf did not present him as an instant solution, but as a young player with potential. Hajduk need competition in midfield, but also a player profile that can bring different dynamics in the final third.
For the coaching staff, it will be crucial to assess whether Brruti can adapt most quickly as a classic number ten, a second striker, an attacking number eight or a player who moves between the lines from the second wave. His arrival expands the rotation options, especially if Hajduk play on several fronts. The club finished the 2025/2026 season in second place in the league table, according to the table published on Hajduk’s official website, behind Dinamo, with 68 points from 36 matches. Such a finish means that ambitions have remained high, but also that the team will need additional depth to withstand the rhythm of domestic and European commitments. In that sense, Brruti does not immediately have to be a leader of the team’s play in order to be important; in the first phase, it is enough for him to increase competition, raise training intensity and offer an additional option in matches in which Hajduk need more creativity from midfield.
The first test of the new sporting policy
The arrival of Etnik Brruti should also be viewed through the broader picture of Hajduk’s sporting policy. At his presentation, according to the official club announcement, Graf said that he was not a magician, but that the club would have to be smart in scouting and that things would be done differently than before. In the same appearance, he spoke about meetings with the scouting department, the coach and the academy, which points to an attempt at more systematic decision-making regarding the squad. Brruti is precisely the type of player with whom such an approach can be tested: he is young, arrives without a transfer fee, signs a long-term contract and has enough room for development. If he establishes himself, the club can gain sporting value and potentially a marketable player. If adaptation is slower, the length of the contract and his age leave room for a more patient development path.
For Hajduk, however, time and patience are always limited by expectations of results. Chairman of the Management Board Ivan Bilić, at Graf’s presentation, according to the club’s announcement, emphasized that the goals remain the fight for domestic trophies and a step forward in Europe. Such goals create pressure on every move by the sporting sector, so Brruti’s arrival will also be viewed through the question of whether he can help the first team immediately or at least quickly. At the same time, the club cannot build a sustainable sporting model solely on expensive and short-term solutions. Bringing in young players without transfer fees, with the assessment that they have developmental and market potential, is one way to try to reconcile results and financial sustainability. Brruti is therefore not just a new name in the dressing room, but also the first concrete indicator of the direction in which Hajduk want to move in assembling the team.
Competition, adaptation and expectations
Brruti’s arrival will not automatically solve Hajduk’s needs in midfield, but it can open up additional options. Young players coming from less media-covered leagues often need time to adapt to a higher rhythm of play, different defensive demands and more intense pressure in possession. For attacking midfielders, decision-making speed is especially important, because space between the lines closes more quickly and aggressively in stronger leagues. Hajduk will therefore have to carefully measure how to introduce him into the team, especially if he is expected to retain the creativity that recommended him at Malisheva. If he manages to adapt, he could bring additional verticality, a shot from the second wave and the ability to connect play in the final phase of attacks.
The official presentation also shows that the club wants to manage expectations. Graf described him as a talented player with potential, not as a big name who immediately changes the team hierarchy. Such communication is important because Brruti does not arrive in Split with great international experience, but as a player who is only entering the period in which potential must be turned into stable senior value. Hajduk can offer him a bigger shop window, but also a more demanding environment. His contract until 2029 provides a time frame in which the club can plan development, while giving him the security needed for adaptation. The first impression, however, will already be created during preparations and in the early matches of the new season, when it will be seen how quickly he can keep up with the team’s rhythm and the demands of the coaching staff.
Hajduk opens the transfer window with a low-risk move and possible high reward
In sporting terms, Brruti’s transfer falls into the category of moves with limited initial risk and potentially significant reward. The club does not pay a transfer fee, gets a young player with good output in the previous season and ties him down contractually for three years. At the same time, it is clear that the final assessment will be made on the pitch, not only by transfer logic. Hajduk have previously had experience with players who arrived as development projects, but the success of such deals depends on the assessment of character, work habits, tactical adaptability and mental resilience. In Split, Brruti will have to show that he can cope with the pressure of a club that enters every season with high ambitions.
For Robert Graf, this deal is the first publicly visible transfer signature in the role of Hajduk’s sporting director. His mandate began in an atmosphere of great expectations, after a season in which Hajduk finished second in the championship and remained in search of an additional step forward. Brruti therefore arrives at a moment when the squad is being assembled for a new period, not as an isolated move without wider significance. If he develops into a player who can regularly contribute in midfield, the transfer will confirm the idea that Hajduk can find value outside the most expensive markets as well. If it turns out that he needs a longer adaptation period, the contract until 2029 leaves room for the club to work with him patiently and in a planned manner. In any case, the arrival of the young Albanian midfielder marked the beginning of Hajduk’s summer squad-building at Poljud and the first concrete move of the new sporting administration.
Sources:
- HNK Hajduk Split – official announcement on the signing of Etnik Brruti, the contract until the summer of 2029, his career, statistics and statements by Robert Graf and the player (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official announcement on the appointment of Robert Graf as sporting director and his earlier professional path (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official presentation of new sporting director Robert Graf, the club’s goals and his statements on scouting and future work of the sporting sector (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official homepage with the league table after the end of the 2025/2026 season (link)
- Dalmatinski portal – earlier report on the arrival of Etnik Brruti at Poljud, the context of the Hajduk - Osijek match and information about Malisheva (link)
- Sportklub – earlier media report on the announced three-year contract and the transfer status before official confirmation (link)