Eetu Vertainen

Eetu Vertainen
Vertainen with HJK in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-05-11) 11 May 1999 (age 25)
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Triestina
Number 9
Youth career
KyIF
HJK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2020 Klubi 04 41 (13)
2017–2020 HJK 57 (8)
2021 Ilves 11 (4)
2021–2023 St Johnstone 7 (0)
2022 → Linfield (loan) 10 (4)
2022–2023 → Linfield (loan) 30 (17)
2023– Triestina 28 (6)
2023 → Athens Kallithea (loan) 3 (0)
International career
Finland U19
Finland U21 4[2] (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 December 2024

Eetu Vertainen (born 11 May 1999) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie C Group A club Triestina.

Career

Vertainen began his youth career with KyIF, before joining the academy of HJK at the age of 11.[3][4] He started his senior career with Klubi 04, before playing for HJK and Ilves in the Veikkausliiga.[5]

Vertainen signed a two-year contract with Scottish club St Johnstone on 1 September 2021.[6][7]

He moved on loan to NIFL Premiership club Linfield on 7 February 2022.[8] On 19 March, he scored four goals in a 5–0 league win over Dungannon Swifts.[9][10]

On 30 June, his loan deal with the Northern Irish team was extended.[11][12] Following his performances, he was named the league's Player of the Month and won the Goal of the Month award for December 2022.[13] In January 2023, he scored hat-tricks in successive league matches.[14][15] Later in the same season, he was the subject of speculation about a permanent transfer to Linfield,[16] as well as links to Welsh club The New Saints.[17]

On 1 September 2023, Vertainen joined Serie C club Triestina on a permanent deal.[18][19] Since Triestina were unable to register him on time,[20] on 11 September he was loaned to Super League Greece 2 club Athens Kallithea until the end of the year, with an option to extend the deal for the rest of the 2023–24 season.[20][21] In January 2024, Vertainen returned to Triestina, and made his Serie C debut on 7 January 2024, as a starter in a match against Trento.[22]

International career

Vertainen is a former Finnish youth international.[5]

Career statistics

As of 6 December 2024.[5]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Other Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Klubi 04 2016 Kakkonen 13 0 – – – 13 0
2017 Kakkonen 21 11 3 1 – – 24 12
2018 Ykkönen 6 2 – – – 6 2
2020 Kakkonen 1 0 – – – 1 0
Total 41 13 3 1 0 0 0 0 44 14
HJK 2017 Veikkausliiga 1 0 1 0 – 0 0 2 0
2018 Veikkausliiga 19 4 5 3 – 3[b] 0 27 7
2019 Veikkausliiga 25 2 3 1 – 2[c] 0 30 3
2020 Veikkausliiga 12 2 5 1 – – 17 3
Total 57 8 14 5 0 0 5 0 76 13
Ilves 2021 Veikkausliiga 11 4 3 0 – – 14 4
St Johnstone 2021–22 Scottish Premiership 7 0 0 0 1[d] 0 – 8 0
Linfield (loan) 2021–22 NIFL Premiership 10 4 – – – 10 4
2022–23 NIFL Premiership 30 17 1 0 7[e] 2 5[f] 0 43 19
Total 40 21 1 0 7 2 5 0 53 23
Triestina 2023–24 Serie C 13 3 – 2[g] 0 – 15 3
2024–25 Serie C 15 3 0 0 1[h] 0 – 16 3
Total 28 6 0 0 3 0 0 0 31 6
Athens Kallithea (loan) 2023–24 Super League Greece 2 3 0 0 0 – – 3 0
Career total 187 52 21 6 11 2 10 0 229 60
  1. ^ Includes Suomen Cup, Scottish Cup, Irish Cup and Greek Cup
  2. ^ Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Includes UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Includes Scottish League Cup
  5. ^ Includes five appearances and two goals in Irish League Cup, one appearance in Scottish Challenge Cup and one appearance in NIFL Charity Shield
  6. ^ Includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ^ Includes Serie C Promotion Play-offs
  8. ^ Includes Coppa Italia Serie C

References

  1. ^ "Profile" (in Finnish). Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Tulospalvelu". tulospalvelu.palloliitto.fi.
  3. ^ "KRISTALLINKIRKAS TAVOITE" (in Finnish). Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Eetu Vertaiselle jatkosopimus". Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (in Finnish). 10 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Eetu Vertainen at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Eetu Vertainen Signs 2 Year Deal". St Johnstone Football Club. 1 September 2021.
  7. ^ Gallagher, Matthew (1 September 2021). "Finnish striker Eetu Vertainen has "loads of potential", says Callum Davidson". Daily Record.
  8. ^ "St Johnstone loan Eetu Vertainen to Linfield". FourFourTwo. 7 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Four-goal Vertainen can still improve – Healy". BBC Sport. 19 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Irish League Round-Up: Eetu Vertainen to the four as Linfield stay top with Cliftonville keeping in touch after win at Glenavon". Belfast Telegraph. 19 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Eetu Vertainen moves to Linfield on loan". St Johnstone Football Club. 30 June 2022.
  12. ^ Fullerton, Gareth (30 June 2022). "Linfield announce the return of striker Eetu Vertainen". BelfastLive.
  13. ^ "Eetu Vertainen: Player and goal of the month award for St Johnstone loan striker". Daily Record. 6 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew hails hat-trick hero Eetu Vertainen as Blues boost title hopes in style with victory over Ballymena United". Belfast Telegraph. 21 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Linfield must improve record against title rivals, admits Ross Oliver after striker Eetu Vertainen's second consecutive hat-trick helps Blues rout Portadown". Belfast Telegraph. 28 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Finnish striker Eetu Vertainen ponders permanent Linfield switch". Belfast Telegraph. 7 February 2023.
  17. ^ Nicolson, Eric (2 February 2023). "Eetu Vertainen: Welsh champions TNS battling Linfield to sign St Johnstone striker in summer". The Courier.
  18. ^ "Eetu Vertainen firma con la Triestina". US Triestina Calcio. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  19. ^ "MTV Urheilun tiedot: Suomalaistykki teki sopimuksen Italiaan". MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  20. ^ a b Ikola, Ertu (11 September 2023). "Yllättävä käänne, Italiaan siirtynyt suomalaishyökkääjä joutui heti vaihtamaan maisemaa". MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). MTV Finland. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Eetu Vertainen joins Athens Kallithea FC". Athens Kallithea FC. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Trento vs. Triestina - 7 January 2024 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.