Who was and what happened » The former FCSB captain is one step away from being kicked out by another Superliga team
Article by Adrian Duţă – Published on Sunday, 04 January 2026 20:37 / Updated on Sunday, 04 January 2026 22:58
Ovidiu Popescu (31 years old), the central midfielder from UTA, could change the team this winter. Dejan Iliev and Daniel Szori could also leave the Arada team.
Adrian Mihalcea, the Aradenian coach, expects more departures from UTA in the next period, referring to the players who got few minutes. Ovidiu Popescu, with only one appearance in the Superliga in the last two months, is on the list.
It is certain that UTA will no longer have Robert Vlăsceanu, the left defender on loan from FCSB, in the team. As GSP announced on Sunday, he will be sent to Unirea Slobozia for the second part of the season.
Ovidiu Popescu can leave UTA. Mihalcea: “There are players who maybe want more minutes”
“For Vlăsceanu, a separation agreement has been reached and he will leave us. He is not our player, somehow it is a three-way deal, in which the FCSB also participates. You know very well that there are players who, indeed, maybe want to play more or should want to play more and there are such possibilities to leave”, said Adrian Mihalcea, quoted by sportarad.ro.
Among those who have a chance to leave UTA are Ovidiu Popescu, Dejan Iliev and Daniel Szori, according to the quoted source. Arriving in Arad in the summer from U Cluj, Popescu did not impose himself under the command of Mihalcea.
The former champion with FCSB played 14 matches in the Superliga at UTA. In the last 3 games of 2025, he did not enter at all, being an unused reserve. In fact, in the last 6 matches of the Aradians, Popescu entered the field only once, with FCSB, in the Cup, when he scored two minutes.
Although he started the season as a starter, the midfielder's performances disappointed Mihalcea, who only used Ovidiu Popescu for two minutes in the Superliga in November and December.
