Mirel Radoi returned to Romania a day after the last match in Turkey, in which his team, Gaziantep, lost again, 1-2 with Başakşehir. This result meant the fourth consecutive failure received by the Romanian coach, since taking over the technical bench of the Turks.
With the season over for Gaziantep, the coach decided to spend a short time in Romania. On the morning of Sunday, May 17, he found Rădoi at the Otopeni airport, where he was surprised upon arrival.
The surprise comes from the fact that the technician could be present in the stands at the game Universitatea Craiova vs. U Cluj, a match with high stakes in the fight for the title, in which his former team can become champions, according to sport.ro.
The start of his mandate in Turkey was a difficult one
Four defeats in as many games, a record that is already putting pressure on him. Although he has a contract valid until the summer of next year, it is not excluded that Gaziantep’s officials consider a breakup much too early, especially since in recent years the club has changed coaches on a conveyor belt, after very short periods of time, sometimes even less than five games.
“I blame myself for these results. I’ve made mistakes too, nobody’s perfect. In the summer there will be players who will leave and players who will stay with the team. We have to see who goes and who stays, and that will be determined in the summer. If we don’t tell each other honestly, the next year will be all the more difficult for us!”Rădoi admitted, after the match Gaziantep vs. Basaksehir.
If he remains coach at Gaziantep, Mirel Rădoi will have to make important changes in the squad. That means both players leaving and others coming in to make the team stronger next season. Gaziantep finished the championship in 12th place, with 37 points, and for the 2026/2027 season the objective is stronger: to finish in the first part of the ranking.
