A starting Liga I striker with no contract
The Romanian top flight has quietly become one of Europe’s better value markets, and right now it is offering up a genuine curiosity: a 21-year-old left-footed striker holding down a regular starting spot in Liga I whose contract has already expired.
Ștefan Daniel Bană of Oțelul Galați fits the bill on every axis the skouted.ai model rewards. UV score: 99, the maximum “Highly undervalued” reading. Youth flag: yes. Contract status: expired, meaning he is free to sign with any club.
The season in numbers
| Metric | 2025 Liga I |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 22 |
| Minutes | 1,696 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Goal involvements per 90 | 0.37 |
| Passing accuracy | 73% |
| UV Score | 99 |
| Deal Score | 63 |
Seven goal involvements in a struggling side at 21 is a solid rather than spectacular raw return, but the context matters. Bană claimed a regular starting berth in a top-flight league at an age when most strikers are still in youth teams, and the skouted.ai scouting engine rates his attacking output at 61, the lead metric of his profile. His listed market value of €1.2M-€2.0M already trails what starting Liga I forwards typically cost.
The left-footed striker premium
Left-footed strikers are chronically scarce. Bană’s profile, a left-footed center forward who plays with his back to goal and finishes inside the box, maps onto the archetype that mid-table clubs in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and the Scandinavian leagues shop for every single window. Normally that profile costs €2M-€4M in development markets. As a free agent, Bană costs a signing bonus and a salary.
The goals
The risks
Honesty first: a 0.21 goals-per-90 rate is not yet proven top-flight killer instinct, and Liga I’s competitive level means a step up comes with adaptation risk. The model’s potential projection is modest until the sample grows. But the risk-reward here is asymmetric. A free transfer for a 21-year-old top-flight starter carries essentially no downside beyond wages.
AI Verdict: Strong Buy
Expired contract, maximum undervaluation score, starting experience in a UEFA-ranked league at 21, left-footed striker. For any club operating in the value tier of the transfer market, this is as close to a free option as football offers. Somebody in Belgium or the Netherlands should already be on the phone.
View full profile and AI-powered transfer intelligence at skouted.ai