Arlind Ajeti (; born 25 September 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Bodrum and the Albania national team.
He began his career in the youth teams of Concordia Basel and Basel, making his senior debut with Basel's first team in 2011. During his time at Basel, he won four consecutive Swiss Super League titles in the 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15 seasons, as well as the Swiss Cup in 2011–12, finishing as runner-up in the following three editions. He also won the Uhren Cup in 2013 and appeared in the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. Ajeti later played for clubs in Italy, Denmark, Romania, and Turkey, winning the Danish 1st Division with Vejle in 2019–20 to earn promotion to the Danish Superliga and the Coppa Italia Serie C with Padova in 2021–22.
Born in Switzerland, he represented Switzerland at youth level before switching allegiance to Albania in 2014. He has earned over 35 caps and participated in Albania's first-ever UEFA European Championship 2016 and 2024 campaigns. He was named Man of the Match in Albania's 1–0 victory over Romania during the 2016 tournament.
Early life Ajeti was born in Basel, Switzerland, to Albanian parents originally from Podujevë, Kosovo. He is the eldest son of Afrim and Sylbije Ajeti, who fled Kosovo due to the war; his father, a former amateur goalkeeper, worked as a construction laborer, and his mother as a cleaner. The family lived near Claraplatz in the Kleinbasel district. His younger brothers are twins and professional footballers: Albian, who plays for Basel and the Switzerland national team, and Adonis, who plays for Rapperswil-Jona.
Ajeti's father inspired him to start playing football; at eight, he began training regularly with him before joining Concordia Basel at age ten. In 2004, he joined the Basel youth system, representing the under-16, under-18, and under-21 teams, playing for the latter from 2010–11 until the 2014–15 season in the 1. Liga Promotion, making 67 appearances and scoring 4 goals.
Club career Basel On 2 January 2011, Ajeti signed his first professional contract with Basel on a -year deal and joined the first team for the 2011–12 season in the Swiss Super League. He also played for the Basel under-19 team in the 2011–12 NextGen series, debuting against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 August 2011.
He made his first-team debut in the Swiss Super League on 28 August 2011 as a substitute in a 2–1 home win against Thun. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he won the Double, claiming the 2011–12 Swiss Super League and the Swiss Cup. He made one league appearance and two Swiss Cup appearances, while playing regularly with the U21 squad.
In the 2012–13 Swiss Super League, Ajeti made 4 appearances while mainly playing for the under-21 side, which finished second in the third tier but did not gain promotion to the Swiss Challenge League. At the end of the season, he won the Swiss Championship title and was Swiss Cup runner-up. He made his European debut on 22 November 2012 in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League Group G match against Sporting Lisboa, coming on as a substitute in the final minute of a 3–0 win.
In the 2013–14 season, Ajeti became a regular in the 2013–14 Swiss Super League, making 19 appearances (14 starts and 5 as a substitute). He scored his first league goal on 5 October 2013 in a 2–1 away win against Lausanne-Sport. At the end of the season, he won his third league championship with Basel. He made one appearance in the quarter-final of the 2013–14 Swiss Cup, as Basel reached the final but were defeated 2–0 after extra time by Zürich. In European competitions, Ajeti played in all matches of the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League qualifying, featuring in the third qualifying round and play-off round as Basel recorded three wins and one draw to reach the group stage. He made four substitute appearances in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League group stage as the team finished third and advanced to the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League knockout phase. In the Europa League, he played the full 90 minutes in both legs of the round of 32 against Maccabi Haifa and in the first leg of the round of 16 against Red Bull Salzburg, with Basel conceding no goals in those three matches, and provided one assist in the second leg against Salzburg in a 2–1 win as Basel progressed to the quarter-finals.
In the 2014–15 season, Ajeti made limited first-team appearances following managerial changes. He featured in the opening round of the 2014–15 Swiss Super League and mainly played for the Basel U21 side in the 1. Liga Promotion, appearing regularly before being recalled to the first team near the end of the season. Basel won the league title for the sixth consecutive season. He made one appearance in the 2014–15 Swiss Cup, playing 32 minutes in the quarter-final during a 6–1 away win against Münsingen on 4 March 2015. He also made one appearance in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage, playing 16 minutes in the Group B match against Ludogorets on 22 October 2014. Basel played a total of 65 matches across all competitions, and under Paulo Sousa Ajeti made 17 appearances: 3 in the league, 2 in the Swiss Cup, 1 in the Champions League, and 11 in friendly matches.
In summer 2015, Ajeti left Basel after his contract expired, as the club chose not to renew his deal amid strong competition in defence and limited first-team opportunities. He made more than 50 official appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring once.
Frosinone On 24 November 2015, after six months as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Basel, Ajeti signed a contract until the end of the season with newly promoted Serie A side Frosinone. He was assigned the squad number 93, corresponding to his year of birth, and was presented to the media two days later.
He received his first call-up on 6 December 2015 for the match against Chievo Verona at the Stadio Matusa, remaining an unused substitute. He made his debut on 6 January 2016 against Sassuolo, starting the match and scoring an own goal in the 22nd minute before later netting Frosinone's second goal in an eventual 2–2 draw.
During the second half of the 2015–16 season, Ajeti established himself in the starting line-up, making 13 full 90-minute appearances and three additional appearances as a second-half substitute. At the end of the season, Frosinone were relegated to Serie B. His contract with Frosinone ended on 30 June, as his renewal was only valid if the club had remained in Serie A.
Torino On 7 July 2016, Torino completed the signing of Ajeti on a free transfer. He signed a three-year contract, with the option to extend for a further two years; his salary was reported to be €500,000 per season.
Ajeti missed the start of the 2016–17 Serie A season after suffering a double injury to his right calf in August, which kept him out of action for around two months. On 17 October 2016, he returned to the matchday squad, remaining an unused substitute in Torino's 4–1 away win against Palermo. He made his debut on 30 November 2016 in a 4–0 win over Pisa in the 2016–17 Coppa Italia, playing the full 120 minutes. Ajeti decided to remain at Torino during the winter transfer window, despite transfer speculation, opting to compete for a place in the starting lineup. Ajeti made his Serie A debut for Torino on 5 February 2017 against Empoli, starting and completing the full 90-minutes in a 1–1 draw. A week later he scored his first goal against Pescara in the 9th minute to make it 2–0; he later conceded an own goal, with Torino winning the match 5–3. Throughout the season, under head coach Siniša Mihajlović, Ajeti struggled to secure a regular starting position, partly due to injury setbacks and competition in defence, making only limited appearances, with some reports describing his spell at the club as below expectations and attributing his reduced playing time to tactical preferences and squad hierarchy.
Loan to Crotone On 1 August 2017, Ajeti was loaned to fellow Serie A team Crotone until the end of the 2017–18 season, with an option to buy. Ajeti made his debut on 27 August 2017 in the matchday 2 against Hellas Verona, playing the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw. Ajeti established himself as a regular starter, often playing the full 90 minutes, before experiencing a more reduced role in the latter part of the season. On 16 September 2017, Ajeti played 66 minutes against Inter, during which Inter did not score any goals; he was substituted due to injury before the team conceded twice late in the game. On 24 September 2017, Ajeti started in Crotone's 2–0 away win in matchday 6 against Benevento, the club's first league victory of the season; he was praised for his defensive performance in the match, being described as nearly unstoppable for opposing attackers and included in the Serie A Team of the Week for the third time in six weeks. On 17 December 2017, he provided an assist for Ante Budimir in a 1–0 win against Chievo. In December 2017, Italian outlets reported that Ajeti was enjoying a strong run of form at Crotone, describing him as increasingly influential in defence and noting that his market value had risen to an estimated €3 million. In March 2018, according to statistical analyses published in Italy, Ajeti was rated as the highest-performing defender in Serie A for home matches, with an average match rating of 6.58, ahead of several established defenders in the league. At the end of the season, Crotone were relegated and did not exercise the option to purchase his contract.
On 20 August 2018, Ajeti became a free agent after terminating his contract with Torino, which had been set to run until 2019.
Grasshoppers On 13 September 2018, Ajeti signed a one-year contract with Grasshoppers, with an option to extend for two more years, returning to Switzerland after three years abroad.
Shortly after joining Grasshoppers, Ajeti suffered a shoulder injury during a match against Basel on 5 November 2018 after a collision with his brother Albian Ajeti; he was ruled out of action for four weeks as a result.
In the 2018–19 Swiss Super League season, he made 16 league appearances and scored 2 goals, and was at times recognized in media coverage for strong individual performances, including being named in the "Team of the Week" after a win against St. Gallen on 26 November 2018.
In March 2019, under new coach Tomislav Stipić, Ajeti was excluded from the first team and spent the remainder of the season outside the senior squad before leaving at the end of the season.
Vejle BK On 18 February 2020, Danish 1st Division club Vejle Boldklub confirmed the signing of Ajeti on a deal until the end of the 2019–20 season. He made his debut for the club on 21 February 2020 in a league match against Fredericia, ended in a 1–2 away victory. On 21 June 2020, Ajeti scored an own goal in a 5–3 home win against Hvidovre after diverting the ball into his own net following a cross from the left side. During the second half of the 2019–20 Danish 1st Division season, Ajeti made 8 league appearances and Vejle finished first in the Danish 1st Division and secured promotion to the Danish Superliga.
Reggiana On 18 September 2020, Ajeti left Vejle and returned to Italy, signing a two-year contract with Reggiana in Serie B. Ajeti established himself as a starter during the 2020–21 Serie B season, making 22 starts and two substitute appearances, receiving seven yellow cards and one red card. On 23 January 2021, Ajeti scored his first goal for the club in his 11th league appearance, netting the opener in a 2–1 home win against Vicenza. On 1 May 2021, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win against Pordenone, securing three points for Reggiana. Reggiana finished 18th in the standings and were relegated to Serie C.
Padova