# 2023–24 ASC Oțelul Galați season

The 2023–24 season is Oțelul Galați's first season back in the Liga I since the 2014–15 season. In addition to the Superliga, Oțelul will participate in this season's edition of Cupa României.

## Overview

Oțelul ended the previous season by winning promotion to the Liga I after placing 3rd in the Liga II Play-offs. The preparation for the new season started in early June in Galati, followed by a training camp in Vatra Dornei between 10th and 18 June, followed by a series of friendlies during a camp in Mönichkirchen, between 25 of June and July 6. The first match of the season was a 1–1 draw against UTA.

## Players
### Transfers
#### In

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving from | Type | Transfer window | Ends | Transfer fee |
| 11 | CF | Alexandru Pop | 23 | EU | Unirea Dej | Transfer | Summer | June 2025 | Undisclosed |
| 12 | GK | Relu Stoian | 27 | EU | Gloria Buzău | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 20 | AM | Ștefan Bodișteanu | 20 | EU | Farul | Loaned-in | Summer | June 2024 | Undisclosed |
| 55 | GK | Aurelian Păun | 22 | EU | U Cluj | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 5 | CB | Ariel Ignacio López Varela | 28 | EU | Gloria Buzău | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 27 | CM | Pablo Gaitán | 31 | Non-EU | Gloria Buzău | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 2 | RB | Milen Zhelev | 29 | EU | Arda Kardzhali | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 4 | CB | João Pedro Pereira Serrão | 23 | EU | U.S.C. Paredes | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 21 | DM | Samuel Teles | 26 | EU | C.D. Feirense | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 17 | AM | Răzvan Andrei Tănasă | 20 | EU | Farul | Loaned-in | Summer | June 2024 | Undisclosed |
| 67 | RW | Frédéric Maciel | 29 | EU | S.C.U. Torreense | Transfer | Summer | Undisclosed | Free |
| 25 | CB | Dragan Lovrić | 27 | EU | FC Ararat-Armenia | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 6 | CB | Jonathan Cissé | 26 | Non-EU | Hapoel Hadera | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Free |
| 28 | LB | Miguel Silva | 27 | EU | Leixões | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Undisclosed |
| 95 | LB | Rosario Latouchent | 27 | EU | Kauno Žalgiris | Transfer | Summer | June 2024 | Undisclosed |
| 18 | LB | Iustin Neacșu | 19 | EU | U Cluj | Loaned-in | Summer | January 2024 | Undisclosed |
| 9 | ST | Anes Rušević | 27 | Non-EU | FC Zhetysu | Transfer | Winter | June 2025 | Free |
| 19 | RW | Aly Mallé | 25 | Non-EU | Eyüpspor | Transfer | Winter | June 2024 | Free |
| 66 | DM | João Lameira | 24 | EU | Baltika Kaliningrad | Loaned-in | Winter | June 2024 | Undisclosed |
| 94 | GK | Eduard Pap | 29 | EU | ETO FC Győr | Transfer | Winter | June 2024 | Free |
| 3 | RB | Claudio Mocanu | 19 | EU | CS Universitatea II Craiova | Transfer | Winter | June 2024 | Free |

#### Out

| N | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving to | Type | Transfer window | Transfer fee |
| 17 | CM | Mario Mitoi | 18 | EU | FC Argeș | Loan ended | Summer | |
| 21 | LW | Laurențiu Maxim | 19 | EU | CSM Reșița | Loan ended | Summer | |
| 6 | DM | Rareș Scocîlcă | 19 | EU | Unirea Dej | Loan ended | Summer | |
| 9 | CF | Andreas Chirițoiu | 19 | EU | Progresul Spartac | Loan ended | Summer | |
| 20 | CM | Antonio Cruceru | 26 | EU | Metaloglobus | Mutual | Summer | |
| 27 | RW | Cristian Ciobanu | 28 | EU | CSM Focsani 2007 | Mutual | Summer | |
| 99 | GK | Rareș Pop | 24 | EU | Unirea Dej | Mutual | Summer | |
| | GK | Darius Paharnicu | 18 | EU | CS Unirea Braniştea | Loaned-out | Summer | Undisclosed |
| 19 | LW | Răzvan Gorovei | 29 | EU | CSM Focsani 2007 | Mutual | Summer | |
| 3 | LB | Gabriel Nedelea | 23 | EU | CSM Alexandria | Loan ended | Summer | |
| 77 | RW | Octavian Ursu | 28 | EU | Chindia Târgoviște | Mutual | Summer | |
| 55 | GK | Aurelian Păun | 22 | EU | Progresul Spartac | Mutual | Summer | |
| 18 | RB | Ștefan Farcaș | 20 | EU | CS Unirea Braniştea | Loaned-out | Summer | Undisclosed |
| | LW | Alin Nica | 25 | EU | CS Unirea Braniştea | Loaned-out | Summer | Undisclosed |
| 95 | LB | Rosario Latouchent | 27 | EU | Villefranche | Released | Winter | Free |
| 4 | CB | João Pedro Pereira Serrão | 23 | EU | Felgueiras | Released | Winter | Free |
| 9 | FW | Iliya Dimitrov | 27 | EU | Unirea Slobozia | Released | Winter | Free |
| 5 | CB | Ariel Ignacio López Varela | 28 | EU | UTA Arad | Released | Winter | Free |
| 90 | ST | Kehinde Fatai | 33 | EU | Larissa | Released | Winter | Free |
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.

## Player statistics
### Squad statistics

| | | | | Total | Total | Total | Liga I | Liga I | Cupa României | Cupa României | Others$^1$ | Others$^1$ |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Sts | App | Gls | App | Gls | App | Gls | App | Gls |
| 2 | RB | | Zhelev | 40 | 42 | | 35 | | 7 | | | |
| 3 | LB | | Gabriel Nedelea | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | CB | | Ariel López | 19 | 22 | 2 | 18 | | 4 | 2 | | |
| 6 | CB | | Cissé | 32 | 32 | 5 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 7 | CF | | Cârjan | 3 | 24 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 2 | | |
| 8 | DM | | Neagu | 4 | 18 | | 16 | | 2 | | | |
| 9 | ST | | Dimitrov | 2 | 4 | | 3 | | 1 | | | |
| 9 | ST | | Rušević | 9 | 18 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 11 | CF | | A. Pop | 33 | 40 | 11 | 36 | 11 | 4 | | | |
| 12 | GK | | Stoian | 13 | 13 | | 12 | | 1 | | | |
| 13 | GK | | Dur-Bozoancă | 17 | 17 | | 14 | | 3 | | | |
| 14 | RB | | Andrei Rus | 4 | 16 | | 13 | | 2 | | 1 | |
| 15 | CB | | Yabré | 24 | 25 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 4 | | 1 | |
| 16 | LB | | Costin Ghiocel | 10 | 13 | | 10 | | 3 | | | |
| 17 | AM | | Răzvan Tănasă | 13 | 36 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 6 | | 1 | |
| 18 | RB | | Sțefan Farcaș | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | |
| 19 | RW | | Mallé | 4 | 17 | | 13 | | 3 | | 1 | |
| 20 | LW | | Bodișteanu | 30 | 41 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 6 | | 1 | |
| 21 | DM | | Teles | 31 | 41 | 4 | 34 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| 22 | LB | | Panait | 3 | 5 | | 5 | | | | | |
| 23 | DM | | Jardan | 9 | 24 | | 22 | | 2 | | | |
| 25 | CB | | Lovrić | 23 | 23 | | 22 | | 1 | | | |
| 26 | AM | | Mihai Adăscăliței | 20 | 31 | 1 | 26 | | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| 27 | CM | | Gaitán | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | |
| 28 | LB | | Miguel Silva | 28 | 33 | | 26 | | 6 | | 1 | |
| 30 | LW | | Cisotti | 41 | 44 | 10 | 36 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | |
| 31 | DM | | Živulić | 23 | 43 | | 35 | | 7 | | 1 | |
| 66 | DM | | Lameira | 16 | 21 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 67 | RW | | Maciel | 36 | 43 | 7 | 35 | 7 | 7 | | 1 | |
| 77 | RW | | Ursu | 1 | 2 | | 2 | | | | | |
| 90 | ST | | Fatai | 7 | 21 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 3 | | | |
| 94 | GK | | Pap | 17 | 17 | | 13 | | 3 | | 1 | |
| 95 | LB | | Latouchent | 3 | 9 | 1 | 7 | | 2 | 1 | | |

### Start formations

| Qnt | Formation |
| 34 | 4-3-3 |
| 11 | 4-1-2-3 |
| 2 | 4-1-4-1 |

## Club
### Technical staff

| Position | Staff |
| Head coach | Dorinel Munteanu |
| Assistant coach 1 | Sorin Haraga |
| Assistant coach 2 | Dorin Toma |
| Goalkeeping coach | Iulian Olteanu |
| Club doctor | Bogdan Băneșanu |
| Masseur | Constantin Crăciun |
| Fitness coach | Laurențiu Iorga |
| Physiotherapist | Alexandru Popa |
| Kinetotherapist | Liviu Tunariu |
| Video analyst | Nic Constandache |
| Storeman | Iulian Dogaru |
Last updated: 10 October 2023 Source: LPF.ro

## Competitions
### Overall

| | Total | Home | Away |
| Games played | 47 | 23 | 24 |
| Games won | 16 | 8 | 8 |
| Games drawn | 20 | 9 | 11 |
| Games lost | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| Biggest win | 4–1 vs. SCM Zalău | 2–0 vs. FC Botoșani | 4–1 vs. SCM Zalău |
| Biggest loss | 1–4 vs. Hermannstadt | 0–2 vs. FCSB | 1–4 vs. Hermannstadt |
| Clean sheets | 16 | 9 | 7 |
| Goals scored | 58 | 22 | 36 |
| Goals conceded | 54 | 23 | 31 |
| Goal difference | 4 | -1 | 5 |
| Average GF per game | 1.23 | 0.96 | 1.5 |
| Average GA per game | 1.15 | 1 | 1.29 |
| Yellow cards | 119 | 43 | 76 |
| Red cards | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Most appearances | Cisotti (44) | Cisotti (44) | Cisotti (44) |
| Most minutes played | Cisotti (3857) | Cisotti (3857) | Cisotti (3857) |
| Top scorer | A. Pop (11) | A. Pop (11) | A. Pop (11) |
| Top assister | Bodișteanu (6) | Bodișteanu (6) | Bodișteanu (6) |
| Points | 68/141 (48.23%) | 33/69 (47.83%) | 35/72 (48.61%) |
| Winning rate | 34.04% | 34.78% | 33.33% |
Last updated: 17 June 2024 Source: Matches

### SuperLiga
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 9 | Hermannstadt | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 36 | 31 | +5 | 40 | Qualification to play-out round |
| 10 | Petrolul Ploiești | 30 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 35 | Qualification to play-out round |
| 11 | Oțelul Galați | 30 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 34 | Qualification to play-out round |
| 12 | Politehnica Iași | 30 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 33 | Qualification to play-out round |
| 13 | FC U Craiova | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 31 | Qualification to play-out round |
* ↑ Head to head points: UTA 3 (+1), Hermannstadt 3 (-1)

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 17 June 2024. Source: Matches

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | D | D | L | D | D | D | D | D | D | W | W | L | D | D | D | W | L | W | L | W | L | D | D | L | W | L | D | D | L | D | W | W | W | D | W | L | W | L | W |
| Position | 7 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |

#### Points by opponent

| Team | Results | Results | Results | Results | Points |
| Team | Regular | Regular | Play-out | Play-out | | Points |
| Team | Home | Away | Home | Away | Points |
| CFR Cluj | 2–2 | 0-0 | | | 2 |
| Craiova 1948 | 1–0 | 2-0 | | 2-1 | 9 |
| Dinamo | 1–0 | 1-3 | 1–0 | | 6 |
| Farul | 0–1 | 1-1 | | | 1 |
| FC Botoșani | 0–2 | 0-0 | 2–0 | | 4 |
| FCSB | 0–2 | 2-0 | | | 3 |
| Hermannstadt | 1–1 | 1-4 | 1–0 | | 4 |
| Petrolul | 0–0 | 2-2 | | 1-2 | 2 |
| Poli Iasi | 1–1 | 1-1 | 1–0 | | 5 |
| Rapid | 0–0 | 1-2 | | | 1 |
| Sepsi | 2–3 | 1-1 | | | 1 |
| U Cluj | 1–1 | 1-0 | 1–0 | | 7 |
| U Craiova | 1–3 | 0-0 | | | 1 |
| UTA | 1–1 | 4-2 | | 1-3 | 4 |
| Voluntari | 2–2 | 1-1 | | 1-1 | 3 |
Source: SCOG

#### European play-offs
### Cupa României

Oțelul reached the final of the 2023–24 Cupa României, facing Corvinul Hunedoara. The match, played on May 15, 2024, ended in a draw, but Oțelul ultimately fell short in the competition, losing on penalties and failing to secure the trophy.