Podgoreanu joins Kortrijk after advice from former teammate and his family

Sof Podgoreanu has left Maccabi Haifa and signed a four-year deal with Belgian club Kortrijk as a free agent. The 24-year-old Israeli winger said the move was made easier by encouragement from people around him, including former teammate Yile Batai, whose father Kurt is an assistant coach at Kortrijk.

Podgoreanu told Belgium’s Nieuwsblad that Batai described Kortrijk as the right step for him. The club had already said in its official announcement that sporting director Niels Vanstee had followed the player for a long time. Kurt Batai then explained that he knew Podgoreanu from watching all of Maccabi Haifa’s matches, noticed his potential immediately, and was convinced by his son as well. Yile, he said, told Vanstee, the coach and him: “If you can take him, do it with your eyes closed.”

Podgoreanu said the support from everyone made the decision easy. “Kortrijk is a milestone for me,” he said. “I am joining a strong and respected league. I wanted this step and I needed it.”

He has already started training with Kortrijk, where sessions are currently closed to the public, and has completed two workouts with his new teammates. Podgoreanu said he is still staying in a hotel while looking for an apartment nearby. Asked about his personal life, he said he is not married and came alone, adding that football now demands all of his attention.