Constanta bolster squad ahead of key matches

Romanian champions HCM Constanta have strengthened their squad for the upcoming decisive matches in the VELUX EHF Champions League with two players, Serbian left wing Predrag Vujadinović and Romanian line player Albert Cristescu. 

Both players join from CSM Bucuresti, team who were in fifth place after the first part of the Romanian League, but due to financial problems, have been forced to part ways with a number of players and their coach, Romanian handball legend, Vasile Stinga.

“I have always played for the teams who fought for the national titles.

“Constanta is serious club with a stable financial base. It was easy to say yes after six months in Bucharest,” Cristescu told ehfCL.com.

Vujadinović has plenty of Romanian handball experience, after three seasons in Steaua MFA Bucuresti, during which he competed in the 2008/09 EHF Champions League season, when they failed to progress to the Main Round. He was also a member of UCM Resita.

“I won't have a problem adapting myself to the team. I am fluent in Romanian, but my compatriots Dalibor Čutura and Milutin Dragićević are also playing there.

"There is also Macedonian national team player Branko Angelovski, while coaches are Zvonko Šundovski and Marko Isaković (are also Macedonian)," said 29-year-old Vujadinović, who is the ninth top scorer in the Romanian championship after the first half of the season.

“I will have a good and also a hard training process with my new team. It won’t be easy to find a place in the team, because all the positions are covered with two quality players.

“That is good for the team, good players are forcing each other to give their best possible performances during training sessions and matches,” concluded Vujadinović.

HCM Constanta still have a chance to qualify for the Last 16. Three rounds before the end of the Group Phase, the Romanian team sit at the bottom of Group B, but are in a three-way tie with Celje Pivovarna Laško and IK Sävehof on four points.