Universitatea Craiova sign Joao Lameira and Baptiste Roux

Universitatea Craiova have added Portuguese midfielder Joao Lameira and French defender Baptiste Roux to their squad before their Romanian Cup match against Bacău.

Lameira, 27, joined permanently from Oțelul Galați and signed a two-year contract with an option to extend it for another season. He had worn the captain’s armband for the Galați club. Oțelul said the transfer involved a substantial fee, a percentage of any future transfer and performance bonuses tied to Craiova’s results and Lameira’s individual displays.

The midfielder initially joined Oțelul on loan, then signed as a free agent after leaving Russian club Baltika Kaliningrad. He made 102 appearances in Romania’s top division and Romanian Cup, scoring eight goals and providing three assists. He had entered the final year of his Oțelul contract.

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The transfer to Universitatea Craiova is being completed for a substantial sum, to which a percentage of a future transfer of the player and performance bonuses will be added.

Craiova also reached an agreement to loan Roux until the end of the season, with an option for a permanent transfer. Born in Bressuire on Nov. 26, 1999, the centre-back played 99 Ligue 2 matches for Guingamp between 2020 and 2024. He later made 23 appearances in Portugal’s top flight for AVS Futebol and 25 in Serbia’s top division for TSC Bačka Topola.

The two deals followed Craiova’s separation from Georgian midfielder Anzor Mekvabishvili, who moved to Chicago Fire. Mekvabishvili played 119 matches for Craiova, scoring seven goals and making 14 assists, and helped the club win the Romanian league title, Cup and Super Cup last season. Roux was brought in after Adrian Rus suffered a serious injury.

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The move represents one of the most important operations carried out by SC Oțelul Galați during this period and also confirms the value the player built during his three years in Galați.