"Sheriff" is traditionally the most active on the Moldovan transfer market // Photo moldova1.md
The most active during the summer transfer campaign was traditionally Sheriff, where 18 departed players were replaced by 17 new recruits. Having lost the championship in the final phase of the Super League two years in a row, the Tiraspol team intends to win the tournament this season. The most expensive addition to the 21-time Moldovan champions, according to Transfermarkt, is the 26-year-old goalkeeper, Bulgarian-born Ivan Dulgerov. His market value is €1 million. Last season he defended the colors of CSKA Sofia, his contract with the club expired this year, and as a free agent he moved to Sheriff.
Dulgerov became the main goalkeeper of the Tiraspol club. In the second phase of the last Super League season, Emil Velic and Victor Straistar shared the place in the frame. Libyan-born Rashed Al-Toumi, who was acquired by Sheriff a year earlier, was not even included in the team’s application form in spring. This summer he returned to Sliema Wanderers, playing in the Maltese championship. Another goalkeeper of Tiraspol – Serghei Obyskalov – returned from the youth team “Dinamo” (Bucharest), which rented him for one year.
The midfield line was strengthened by Fernando Neto (Brazil), Liam Hermesh (Israel), Daba Diakite (Mali), as well as Nigerian Peter Ademo, who returned on loan. Ademo proved himself in the Europa League, scoring against Netherlands Utrecht in the first leg of the second qualifying round. He plays regularly in Super League matches and by the end of the season he will be able to increase his market value, which currently stands at €600k.
Jorge Miguel Lopes Javier, also known as Jojo, a pupil of the academy of Portuguese club Benfica, is expected to strengthen the defense line. He joined the team on September 1 and is still just preparing to make his Super League debut. At the beginning of the transfer campaign, Brazilian Atila Guilherme Freire came in as a free agent, involved in five matches. Senegal national team defender Baye Assane Siss also joined the team. Despite the fact that the market value of the 21-year-old player is unknown, he proved himself as the captain of the national team at the African Cup of Nations, where Senegal became the bronze medalist.
The club’s most successful acquisition in the offensive line was Albanian international Amarildo Djoni. Having scored six goals in seven matches, he is among the top three scorers of the championship. Above him is only Petru Popescu from Petrocub, who scored eight times. In the last days of the transfer window, Israeli striker Kais Ganem was added to the Wasps’ squad. He has participated in only one Super League match so far and scored one goal against CSF Bălți (3:0).
The record deal was the sale of 18-year-old Nigerian Elijah Odede to French Troyes. Odede spent just over half a year at Sheriff, and during this time he managed to become a main squad player. “Troyes” signed a five-year contract with the player. The sum of the deal was made public and amounted to a record €3 million. Thus, the Tiraspol team broke their own record of 18 years ago, when they sold Romanian midfielder Razvan Cochis to Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia) for €2.6 million.
Norwegian “Brann” acquired 19-year-old Ghanaian-born Nana Kwame Boakye, who played in all 24 Super League matches last season, and in this season – six European Cup matches, in which played Sheriff. The footballer with a market value of €600 thousand was sold for €1 million. He signed a four-year contract with the new club.
During the off-season Vladimir Mamuchashvili, one of the key players of the last season, left Sheriff. It is reported that the 27-year-old midfielder of the Georgian national team was purchased for a record amount for local clubs, but the financial side of the deal was not disclosed. During the year he spent at the Tiraspol club, his market value increased by €50 thousand.
The rest of the players left the club as free agents or returned to their clubs on loan. After four years of playing in the Moldovan championship, 27-year-old Mali midfielder Moussa Kyabu left Sheriff. He signed a four-year contract with Genclerbirligi, a club in Turkey’s top league.
Montenegrin legionnaire Alexa Marusic and Artur Serobyan from Armenia, who were rented by Sheriff before the second phase of the last Super League season, returned to the clubs that own the rights to them. Marusic again plays for Magdeburg, but not for the main team, but for the second team, represented in Germany’s fourth league. Serobyan, who played in five European Cup matches of Sheriff, returned to Ararat-Armenia.
The rest of the Super League clubs had much more modest transfer campaigns. “Milsami” at the end of the championship season parted with five and replenished with six players. The Orhei club rented striker Justice Ohajunwa from Croatian side Osijek. The 24-year-old Nigerian previously played in the Super League for Zimbru, but left the club at the beginning of the year. He failed to establish himself in Osijek, who decided to loan him out for a year.
Marius Josipoi moved to Milsami as a free agent. The native of Jaloveni played for a year in the Russian club SKA-Khabarovsk. Earlier, the 25-year-old midfielder played in the Moldovan championship for “Dacia-Buiucani” and “Petrocub”. Another Moldovan player, who played abroad, Andrei Kobets, after three years in the championship of Belarus, strengthened the offensive line of the reigning champions of Moldova and has already scored three times in the Super League. The team also added goalkeeper Filip Dujmovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), midfielder Oladotun Olatunde-Mathew (Nigeria) and defender Frederick Takyi (Ghana).
“Zimbru acquired or loaned eight players, while 12 players left the capital club. Matteo Amoroso, who has the highest market value among the newcomers, was rented from Ukrainian side Kvivbas. Victor Styne, who previously played in the Romanian and Greek championships, returned to the club. Head coach Oleg Kubarev attracted three compatriots from Belarus – forwards Denis Kozlovski, Timofei Sharkovski and defender Nikolai Zolotov. Another one – Kirill Kirilenko – left the Bison a month after his arrival and went to Slavia Mozyr.
Three pupils of the academy “Zimbru” were given on loan. Vlad Reileanu went to Lviv Ruh, Stefan Bytke to Hungarian Zalaegerszeg and Lucian Radu to Politehnica-UTM (Chisinau). Spanish defender Josep Gaia returned to his homeland, where he signed a contract with the club “Lugo”, and striker Arquimides Ordonez (Guatemala) went to the USA and joined the ranks of the club “Loudoun United”.
Petrocub added half as many players as they left – seven against 14. All of the newcomers were players of local or Romanian clubs, only defender Katelyn Kukos played in the Polish championship before the transfer. Kotwica Kołobrzeg were relegated to the second league at the end of last season, but failed to pass licensing and were suspended before the start of the season.
Among those who left the club, the highest market value is striker Marin Caruntu – €275 thousand. He moved to Dacia-Buiucani as a free agent. Boubacar Diallo and Donalio Duanla, valued at €200k, moved to NK Croatia and Afghan Abu Muslim respectively. Notably, almost the entire career of 27-year-old Duanla has been spent at Petrocub. He spent seven seasons in Hincesti.
The other Superleague clubs – CSF Bălți, Dacia-Buiucani and Politehnica-UTM – have mostly local players from their own academies. Compared to the top four clubs, their financial resources are very limited.
“Spartanii-Sportul” is out of this category. The club, which has joined forces with the Sportul soccer school, is facing a series of scandals related to financial fraud and delayed salaries of players. Sportul director Viorel Frunze recently accused the club’s new management of raiding the club with the connivance of the Moldovan Football Federation.
As long as the education of soccer players with the provision of all necessary conditions does not surpass the involvement of foreigners (especially free agents), we will not be able to count on a quality national team for many years to come.
| Transitions of Super League players* during the summer transfer window (as of 10.09.2025) |
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|
Club from which transferred |
Club to which transferred | Market value** |
Transfer amount |
|
|
Elijah Odede (Nigeria) |
“Sheriff” | “Troyes” (France) | €200 th. |
€3 mln |
|
Nana Kwame Boakye (Ghana) |
“Sheriff” | “Brann” (Norway) | €600 th. |
€1 mln |
| Ivan Dulgerov (Bulgaria) | CSKA (Bulgaria) | “Sheriff” | €1 mln | free agent |
|
Vladimir Mamuchashvili (Georgia) |
“Sheriff” | “Torpedo Kutaisi” (Georgia) | €650 th. |
not disclosed |
|
Peter Ademo (Nigeria) |
“Rapid 1923” (Romania) | “Sheriff” | €600k. |
end of lease |
|
Jojo (Cape Verde / Portugal) |
“Vizela” (Portugal) | “Sheriff” | €550 th. |
rental |
|
Mollo Bessala (Cameroon) |
LNZ (Ukraine) | “Sheriff” | €500 th. |
rent |
|
Moussa Kyabou (Mali) |
“Sheriff” | “Genclerbirligi” (Turkey) | on €450 th. |
free agent |
|
Vlad Rayleanu*** |
“Zimbru” |
“Rukh” (Ukraine) |
rental |
|
|
Matteo Amoroso (Brazil / Italy) |
“Kvivbas” (Ukraine) | “Zimbru” | at €400 th. | rent |
| Joao Paulo (Cape Verde) | “Sheriff” | “Oțelul” (Romania) |
free agent |
|
|
Stefan Bytke |
“Zimbru” | “Zalaegerszeg” (Hungary) | €350 thousand each. | rent |
| Victor Styne | “AE Larisa” (Greece). | “Zimbru” |
free agent |
|
|
Josep Gaia (Spain) |
“Zimbru” | “Lugo” (Spain) | €300k each. | |
| Kais Ghanem (Israel) | “Maccabi Bnei Reineh” (Israel) | “Sheriff” |
free agent |
|
|
Christopher Nwaeze (Nigeria) |
“Milsami” | “Zorya” (Ukraine) |
lease |
|
| * Transfers with known market value of players are indicated
** Market value according to Transfermarkt service *** Footballers without specifying the country are citizens of Moldova |
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