Jaka Bijol
New Slovenia manager Boštjan Cesar has made Leeds United’s Jaka Bijol captain for the March international break.
The national team confirmed the manager’s appointment in January, after Matjaž Kek stepped down from his role in December.
Cesar has decided to hand over the armband to the Leeds United player due to injuries to other key players.
He will be without Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak, Manchester United’s Benjamin Šeško, Hellas Verona’s Sandi Lovrić and Orlando City’s David Brekalo.
The quartet will miss the upcoming fixtures due to injuries and therefore, the manager made Bijol his captain.
Slovenia failed to win any of their World Cup qualifiers in the last three international breaks and that led to Kek’s exit.
Tough situation at Leeds United
The Whites centre-back spoke at a press conference on Monday and Tuesday’s edition of Dnevnik has relayed his comments.
Jaka Bijol wants to put Slovenia’s disappointment behind them and wants his teammates to make the best use of the upcoming matches.
He said: “We learned from the previous cycle that this path is not very fast. We are still not at the very beginning, but we have a good foundation.”
“We are aware that we will have to give even more to succeed. The new faces will have to accept as much responsibility as possible. If everyone plays their role during the week and in matches, we will be successful. Both friendly matches are a great opportunity to get a feel for new ideas and see what changes will be made in the team.”
The 27-year-old arrived at Elland Road from Udinese in June 2025 and initially struggled for regular minutes. Daniel Farke only started to utilise him from October, and that did please Kek, the former Slovenia manager.
Bijol has played 1,309 minutes from 18 Premier League matches and that includes 13 starts. He talked about how difficult it is to retain his place at Leeds United.
“It’s a constant battle for a place in the team. I’m happy with my position, one week it’s better, the next it’s worse. When I get the chance, I give my all,” Bijol explained.
Defender’s contract, value and agent info
Fiorentina tried to bring him back to Serie A in the winter market, but a move was highly unlikely and La Viola soon realised that.
Transfermarkt value Jaka Bijol, who has a contract until 2030, at €18m. There has been a €3m rise since his move to Leeds United.
Agency SEG Sports Entertainment take care of his future and interests.
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— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 21, 2026