Nik Prelec

Nik Prelec's career has been defined less by the clubs that owned him than by the ones he was sent out to. Sampdoria signed him from Slovenia as a teenager in 2017 and kept him in the youth ranks, then attached him to the first-team squad for two years without ever putting him on the pitch. Cagliari later did much the same: they held his registration, but he never played a competitive match for them either, going straight back out on loan each time.

Before Italy, Prelec came through Slovenian academies at Kovinar Tezno and Aluminij. Once at Sampdoria, he came on loan at Olimpija Ljubljana, where he scored once in 11 appearances. A move to Austria followed, and it was there that he found his rhythm: six goals in 13 matches in his first spell at WSG Tirol, then eight in 32 the following season. A loan at Austria Wien added 31 appearances and six goals.

Oxford United took him on loan from Cagliari in August 2025, with an option to make the move permanent, which the club exercised in 2026.