Former Neftchi head coach Adrian Mutu has admitted that his decision to leave Romanian club Rapid for a job in Azerbaijan was a mistake.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Mutu discussed the move with former Romania national team head coach Victor Piturca during an appearance on Digi Sport.
Piturca said Mutu should not have left Rapid in the summer of 2023 to accept Neftchi’s offer. According to him, the former striker would have been better served by remaining with the Bucharest club for several more years.
“He made a mistake when he left. I told him he should stay at Rapid for three or four years. He had Dan Sucu there, who was investing in the club. If he had won the championship during that period, he could then have gone to Florence. I told him not to go to smaller teams where he had nothing to gain,” Piturca said.
Mutu, who was in the studio alongside Piturca, agreed with his former coach’s assessment.
“He is right,” Mutu replied briefly.
Mutu took charge of Neftchi in the summer of 2023 after leaving Rapid. His spell with the Baku club lasted until December of the same year, when the Romanian coach was dismissed following a series of disappointing results.
During his playing career, Mutu represented several major European clubs, including Inter Milan, Juventus and Chelsea.
