Archive
Grozav signs for Standard Liege
- Gheorghe Grozav (19) has become officially a Standard Liege player. The promising winger signed a three years long deal on January 20 and the Belgian club has the option to extend it for another two seasons.
- Steaua’s skipper and long-serving player (eight consecutive seasons for the red and blue outfit) Sorin Ghionea (30) rejoins former coach Oleg Protasov at FC Rostov. He agreed to a three years long contract and will earn 300.000 EUR per season at the Russian club.Rostov played just 100.000 EUR for his transfer.
- CFR Cluj and Andre Leao (24) parted ways and the Portuguese central midfielder will join Pacos Ferreira, after agreeing to a three years long contract. Bought from Beira-Mar in 2007 for 250.000 EUR, he was recently released on a free transfer, after collecting only 25 matches in the first division for the Romanian club.
- Rapid Bucharest completed the loan deal of Latvian striker Edgars Gauracs (21). The Romanian club paid 50.000 EUR and has an option to make the deal permanent for another 450.000 EUR in the summer.
Cocis to Portsmouth – update
According to prosport.ro, Romanian international Razvan Cocis (26) will move to Portsmouth as a free player, after three seasons spent at Lokomotiv Moscow. Cocis is an attacking midfielder and was a regular starter for the National Team undet Victor Piturca. Lately, though, he had fell out of favor in Russia and struggled to catch the eye of new coach, Razvan Lucescu. He has 32 caps and 2 goals for Romania and, interesting fact, he spent three seasons at each club he has played for until now: Universitatea Cluj, Sheriff Tiraspol and Lokomotiv. Another interesting fact: he hasn’t played in the Romanian first division and also refused a return home this winter, in spite of several offers from all the big clubs.
Cocis is the type of hard-working midfielder, attacking minded, and can cover almost any position, showing nice versatility, tactical discipline, good work ethic and decent technique. My problem with him: I cannot put my finger on his precise role, the place on the pitch from where he could be most effective. Right footed, lacks the vision and the passing precision for a place in the middle of the park, but his stamina and workrate would definitely make him a valuable box-to-box midfielder. I’d see him as a central-right midfielder in a midfield of five, because he’s not gifted enough to play as central attacking midfielder or as a winger.
Anyway, probably manager Avram Grant saw something in him and has a scenario for this player already. The good news is that, after five years, another Romanian player makes it into the Premier League and, this time, I am sure that he will only prove that you can also find in Romania players that are serious, disciplined, who can adjust to the league and won’t cause off the pitch problems.
Update: The player will get 700.000 EUR per year, for the next three seasons, but has a release-for-free clause in his contract, in case Pompey won’t avoid relegation.
CFR’s black list
Alongside goalkeeper Nuno Claro (33), Italian coach Andrea Mandorlini has include
d on his black list the following players: Dario Flores (25, central defender from Urugay), Andre Filipe Leao (24, central defensive midfielder from Portugal) and Diego Ruiz (29, centre forward from Argentina – in picture). They’ve been offered on loan to Unirea Alba Iulia, but refused to go there. The presence of Ruiz (who spent the first half of season in Turkey, on loan at Kasimpasa) on the list is somehow surprising, as it comes a day after club owner Arpad Paszkany said that he’d prefer Ruiz to Yssouf Kone, as the Argentinian has been a more prolific scorer.
CFR also officially released on a free transfer experienced winger Bogdan Mara (32), who’s wanted not just by Steaua and Dinamo, but also says that he has offers from Russia and Greece.
Stanga and Buga, to Xanthi
After completing the transfer of Mugurel Buga (32) , who was released by Rapid Bucharest, the Greek side Skoda Xanthi signed another experienced Romanian player. The skipper of Pandurii Targu Jiu, Florin Stanga (31), moves also on a free transfer (had entered the last six months of the current contract, but the board decided to repay the devotion showed by the player, by letting him go without any financial demands).
Buga is a creative forward, technically gifted, who likes to play as a second striker or on the right wing, and, in Romania, has played for just two clubs: FC Brasov (181 games in the league / 41 goals) and Rapid Bucharest (111 / 26). He also has 6 caps for the National Team and 1 goal, but made history for Rapid, becoming the top scorer all-time in European Competitions, with 14 goals scored.
Stanga is a typical defensive midfielder, usually deployed either as anchorman in a 4-1-4-1 system or as a central left midfielder in a flat midfield. Tenacious, hard working, decent technique, quite often scored decisive goals for Pandurii, with surprising runs from the midfield line and appearances in the opposition’s box. Scored 10 goals in 108 appearances for Pandurii, but impressed with his work ethic and consistency, playing in over 80% of Pandurii’s matches in the league in the past three and a half seasons!
Buga and Stanga were also colleagues at FC Brasov, between 2002 and 2004!
