Seydina Keita leaves FK Gabala to become free agent after Azerbaijan spell ends

Senegalese centre-back Seydina Keita has left FK Gabala and become a free agent after his contract with the Azerbaijani Premier League side ended on 6 July 2026, completing a move that returns the 33-year-old to the market without a club and available on a free transfer.

Keita departs Gabala with a current market value of 175,000, reflecting a gradual decline from the peak valuations he achieved earlier in his career in the Baltic region. The right-footed defender, who stands at 1.76m and specialises as a centre-back, had only joined Gabala in January 2026 from Lithuanian champions FK Panevezys.

His return to free agency continues a familiar pattern for the defender. Keita was previously without a club in mid-2022 following his departure from Latvian side FK Liepaja, before signing for Panevezys in August that year. That move to Lithuania marked one of the most stable and valuable periods of his career, with his market value reaching 350,000 in late 2023.

Keitas two spells at Panevezys were interrupted by a move to Al-Tadamon SC in Kuwait in February 2024, underlining a career that has taken him across multiple leagues and countries. After a stint in the Kuwaiti game, he returned to Panevezys in June 2025, where his value settled at around 200,000 prior to his switch to Gabala.

Born in Pikine, Senegal, on 28 December 1992, Keita first emerged on the European scene through a loan move from Diambars de Saly FC to Norwegian side Molde FK in 2014, before establishing himself in the Baltic leagues with Liepaja from 2017. His long spell in Latvia saw his valuation climb steadily, reaching 300,000 by mid-2022.

Keita now enters the 202627 season unattached after completing his most recent spell in Azerbaijan with Gabala.