Women’s handball team Oltchim Rm. Valcea has made a new important transfer in its bid to strengthen its line-up in order to win the Champions League next season, considering that a serious injury is still keeping Cristina Neagu, its best player, on the sidelines. After signing France’s Allison Pineau and Amandine Leynaud from Metz, this week Portugal’s Alexandrina Barbosa from Itxako signed for the club that played the final of the Champions League in 2010, realitatea.net informs. Alexandrina Barbosa, who previously played in Romania in 2008-2010, for Rulmentul Brasov, has signed a one-year contract and has the option of extending it by another year. “I’m very happy to return to Romania. Especially since I’m doing it by signing for a club like Oltchim, which is an important and very serious club in Europe. I received several offers from various top clubs, but I chose Oltchim because the project presented and explained seemed the best. I know most of the Romanian players, but I can say Oana Chirila is my close friend,” Alexandra Barbosa stated. “I will have the same desire as the club: winning Champion Leagues. I believe that through work, patience and a lot of effort Oltchim will fulfill its desire because it has potential and the necessary values,” the Portuguese player added. Barbosa played in the Champions League final last year and in the main groups this year. Barbosa will turn 26 on May 5. She is 1.75 meters tall. In 2011/2012 the player was 4th in the table of top goal scorers in the Champions League, with a total of 78 goals. Last year she was 5th with 84 goals. Also early this week, goalkeeper Luminita Hutupan Dinu (41) terminated her contract with Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea four months after coming back to the team. Voted best goalkeeper of the world in 2011, Luminita Hutupan Dinu won three Champions League trophies, two with Krim Ljubljana (2001 and 2003) and one with Kometal Skopje (2002).
