Yo-yo club Ittihad Kalba’s plans for their latest Arabian Gulf League-return have begun to take shape with the signing of Romanian midfielder Florentin Matei from Croatia’s Rijeka on a one-year deal.
Matei, 25, is this summer’s first foreign addition by the First Division League’s runners-up. Their success last term under Iraq’s 2007 Asian Cup-winning coach Jorvan Vieira extended a lengthy period of instant promotions and relegations that stretches back to 2009/10.
To end this frustrating spell, a positive impact from the non-Emirati quartet will be key.
Matei arrives on the east coast after he scored four times in 13 matches on loan at Astra Giurgiu, who finished fifth in Romania’s Liga 1.
He had previously struck seven times in 52 games at Rijeka since arriving from the Ukrainian Premier League’s Volyn Lutsk. Italy’s Cesena, plus Romania’s Unirea Urziceni and Steaua Bucharest, also count among his previous employers.
Junior international caps were also won with his nation’s Under-17 (two) and U-19 (three) sides between 2010-11.
His latest side have secured a one-season contract extension with Vieira, 64, to lead them back into the top flight. The Brazilian took over in January and critically inspired a six-match winning run at the end of the season to pip Diego Maradona’s Fujairah to an automatic spot.
Kalba brought in Moroccan attackers Abderrahim Makran and Omar Mansouri on loan for the second half of the season. No announcement has been made about whether the pair will be retained.
رسمياً #إتحاد_كلباء يتعاقد مع اللاعب الروماني ماتي فلورنتين pic.twitter.com/lWFLPLNS4d
— نادي إتحاد كلباء (@ittihadkalbafc) May 25, 2018
