Marius Lăcătuș, about the new transfer of those from FCSB: “The data of the problem are changing”
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Monday, February 02, 2026 22:59 / Updated Monday, February 02, 2026 23:07
Dressed in a jacket with the insignia of his new team, Joao Paulo watched the game from the stands, in one of the red-blue boxes, alongside Mihai Stoica, the president of the FCSB Board of Directors.
Marius Lăcătuș, about the new transfer from FCSB: “He will not find the rarefied spaces”
The legend of Stela and winner of the European Champions Cup in 1986, Marius Lăcătuș, analyzed the transfer of Joao Paulo and talked about the difficulties he could face at FCSB.
“I liked him at Oțelul. He had both offensive and defensive responsibilities. We have to understand that he is not a scorer, but he is a player with a great capacity for effort, aggressive and with good to very good technique.
The problem data may change when you get to the FCSB. He won't find the rarefied spaces he found at Oțelul. The spaces will shrink in defense and the opposition midfield and I don't know how it will cope. But what I noticed is that he does well defensively, very well, and maybe that's why FCSB brought him in, to solve the position of defensive midfielder”, said “Fiara” on the Digi Sport Special show.
The third transfer of the winter for the Romanian champion
The World Cup qualifier with the Cape Verde Islands will be the third transfer of the winter for FCSB, after Andre Duarte (centre back) and Ofri Arad (midfielder), both of whom came free of contract.
The Romanian champion will pay 600,000 euros for Joao Paulo, who leaves Oțelul Galaţi just half a year after his arrival at the Moldovan club.
Paulo played in 22 matches for Laszlo Balint's team, 20 of which were in the Superliga, being a key piece in the gear of a team involved in the fight for the play-offs.
Throughout his career, Joao Paulo played for Sporting Praia, Maria da Fonte, Leca, Feirense, Sheriff Tiraspol and Oțelul Galati. He arrived in Portugal in 2018, from his native country, and after five years he signed with Sheriff, where he played between 2023 and 2025, before coming to the Superliga.
Joao Paulo is quoted at €700,000 on Transfermarkt and has also been wanted by Rapid this season. At FCSB, he will fight for a starting position with Mihai Lixandru, Ofri Arad and Baba Alhassan.
