Agent Reveals Why Nicolascu's Transfer to Hapoel Ramat Gan Collapsed

The potential transfer of forward Yonatan Nicolascu from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Hapoel Ramat Gan has fallen through at the last minute, according to Nicolascu's agent, Rafi Epstein.

Epstein told "5 Ba'avir" that negotiations had been ongoing for three months, with Maccabi Tel Aviv initially wanting to remove Nicolascu from their foreign player roster for the season. After Nicolascu expressed interest in joining Hapoel Ramat Gan, following a meeting with the club's representative Avi Yechiel, all financial terms and conditions were reportedly agreed upon.

However, in the final days before the transfer window closed, Epstein sensed a slowdown in communication from Maccabi Tel Aviv. He believes the club's reluctance to finalize the deal stemmed from their inability to secure a replacement winger. "They didn't find a winger," Epstein stated, suggesting Maccabi Tel Aviv decided to keep Nicolascu to play for them instead of letting him move to Hapoel Ramat Gan, especially since they were already covering his salary.

Epstein expressed frustration with the last-minute collapse, calling it "nonsense" and stating that Maccabi Tel Aviv found a reason to break the deal, knowing it would upset all parties involved. He noted that Nicolascu himself remained uninvolved in the negotiations, deferring all decisions to his agent. "There's a way to do things," Epstein said, lamenting that if Maccabi Tel Aviv had decided against the transfer earlier, it would have been more respectful.

Regarding Nicolascu's current status, Epstein reported that the player is recovering from an injury and could return to full training by mid-October, with a potential return to play in November. He also provided an update on Adrian Ogrisa at Hapoel Be'er Sheva, stating the player is happy there despite some recent playing time concerns.