When a club executes a roster purge, the underlying mechanics usually point to tactical incompatibility or strict financial balancing. For FCSB, the early-summer window of 2026 brought a swift culling. On June 24, 2026, the club officially announced the termination of contracts for four players: Baba Alhassan, David Kiki, Mamadou Thiam, and Daniel Graovac. For players like Kiki, the descent from a championship-winning campaign in red-and-blue to finding a new home required a quick recalibration of career trajectories.
By early July, the fallout from that administrative pruning crystallized. David Kiki, the 32-year-old Benin international left-back with prior experience in France, Bulgaria, and Turkey, finalized a one-year deal with newly promoted Superliga side FC Voluntari, featuring an option for an additional year through the maneuvering of FIFA agent Mihai Joița. Meanwhile, fellow departing defender Daniel Graovac surfaced at Rapid, igniting immediate fan friction. But while the fringe of the squad was cleanly severed, the club's handling of its core assets generated conflicting narratives.
The Lixandru Labyrinth: Gulf Move That Wasn't
No storyline matched the dramatic whiplash surrounding 25-year-old midfielder Mihai Lixandru. Initially, Lixandru’s departure to the Persian Gulf region appeared all but settled, a fact corroborated by general manager Mihai Stoica. Clubs including DC United, Anderlecht, Thun, and Virtus Entella had monitored his profile, but an overseas exit to Saudi Arabia was heavily signaled. Then, in an abrupt reversal broadcast on Digi Sport, owner Gigi Becali declared the move dead.
Dacă n-a plecat, ce să mai vorbim? Vorbeam atunci, acum două săptămâni, acum nu mai știu nimic. MM știe, afacerile de 4-5-600.000 de euro le face el. De la un milion în sus intervin eu,
stated Becali digisport.ro.
This public stance exposed internal communication gaps within the hierarchy. Becali noted that Lixandru would serve as depth behind options like Arad, Gnahore, and Joao Paulo, acknowledging him as the fourth choice in the central channel. Yet this lukewarm valuation contrasted sharply with elite external praise.
The Analytical Divide: Utility vs. Ceiling
The tension at FCSB lies in the disconnect between executive valuation and technical assessment. While Becali treats Lixandru—valued at 900,000 euros on Transfermarkt with 108 appearances, 6 goals, and 4 assists for the club—as a movable asset or a rotational fallback, analysts view him as a premier talent. Ilie Dumitrescu offered a glowing counter-perspective on Digi Sport Special, elevating the 25-year-old above routine squad assessments.
Rămân la părerea că Lixandru e cel mai bun mijlocaș central din SuperLigă. O să vedeți unde o să ajungă! Cred că ar fi ajuns și la echipa națională dacă ar fi avut continuitate,
argued Dumitrescu digisport.ro.
The Voluntari Contrast and Structural Outlook
While FCSB navigates the complexities of keeping a frustrated asset who missed out on a lucrative Gulf transfer, smaller clubs are extracting immediate value from the fallout. FC Voluntari, under Florin Pîrvu, fortified its defensive line by securing Kiki alongside earlier additions like Matej Mamic and Denis Haruț, maintaining a pragmatic approach to top-flight survival after overcoming Hermannstadt in the promotion playoffs.
For FCSB, the dual reality of shedding unneeded weight while retaining a disputed asset like Lixandru highlights the volatile nature of Becali's management model. Whether Lixandru forces a late window exit or proves his worth under a strict internal pecking order remains the central enigma of the club's summer campaign.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- digisport.ro original
- Radu Constantin original
- trumedia.ro original
