Lincoln City have agreed the signing of defender Andrei Coubis on a permanent transfer from FC Universitatea Cluj, subject to the granting of a work permit and international clearance.
The 22-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Imps, becoming the latest addition to Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw’s squad ahead of the Championship campaign. While the club are not likely to hang the label of ‘club record’ around his neck, it’s pretty common knowledge this will be a transfer coup for the Imps.
One year ago, we were waiting for our first million-pound sale. It’s safe to say we’ve now made our first million-pound (plus) purchase. While we’ll go on about it being mindblowing and all the rest, we have to shake that mindset quickly. This could be the new world; this could be the future.
6ft 5in centre-back Coubis arrives after continuing his development in Romania’s top-flight with Universitatea Cluj following more than 10 years in the AC Milan academy and a brief spell at Sampdoria. Comfortable in possession and strong in defensive duals, he adds further quality and competition to City’s back line.
He is also the final addition to the backline ahead of the Championship season. Players will arrive further up the field, but this is the one that has got done first.
“Andrei has elite physical attributes, plays with real aggression, shows composure in possession, fits our profile in this position perfectly and has a really high ceiling,” Sporting director Jez George said. “With the signing of Calum Elder, plus Deji Elerewe and Josh Honohan in January, this completes our recruitment for this unit of the team.”
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His signing is interesting because it took a unique piece of scouting to bring it together. Romania’s top flight is a band six division, meaning that players in that division score lowest for ESC slots. However, Andrei will not take one up, and the diligence of our scouting team ensured that we were ahead of the curve when it came to him hitting his triggers.
“Andrei had a stellar education at AC Milan in his formative years, had a massive impact at U Cluj from January to the end of last season and then made his debut for the senior Romanian national team in the summer,” added Jez.
“It is brilliant work by our recruitment team to have flagged him last season in a band six league which doesn’t automatically qualify for ESC status but knowing that would change if his club qualified for European competition and he played in a qualification game, which they did.”
“Therefore, from Andrei starting against Dynamo Kiev on 9 July, we ramped up our interest and we are delighted to have secured his signature ahead of top tier clubs across Europe.”
It is my understanding that at least one Championship club tried to get in on the deal late, and interest from Turkey was also well documented. However, Coubis remained focused on coming to Sincil Bank, something he’ll tell you about himself, only not yet. He is currently awaiting a work visa, and therefore he cannot do any work for the club until it comes through, which includes interviews!
“Once we obtain the relevant work visa, Andrei will be able to speak himself,” finished Jez. “But there is no doubt that the lure of England and English football, the way in which we play, the atmosphere created by our fans home and away, what we achieved last season and how we develop players all had a part to play in his decision.”
For now, we’ll have to wait to see him in action, and it feels like Grimsby might come a little too soon for the work permit. One thing is for sure: he won’t be the last marquee signing the club expects to make, but his arrival is a line in the sand.
Elsewhere on the site, we’ve got a tactical breakdown from Chris, who has been studying the player on Wyscout, and we’ve got a great video on our YouTube channel with a Romanian football expert, who tells us all about our new defensive recruit. In the absence of official club media, rest assured The Stacey West will give you plenty to watch and read around Andrei Coubis!
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