Who are the top-rated late entries for the main round?

Europe’s top clubs had until midnight on Tuesday to register additional players for the main round of the Women’s EHF Champions League.

Some key players have been sidelined due to injuries and pregnancy, so all the teams except for Denmark’s Kobenhavn and Odense took the opportunity to bolster their squads.

A total of 17 players have moved in the past few weeks and will play for their new teams in the main round.

5) Claudia Constantinescu (HC Zalau to CSM Bucuresti)

The 24-year-old is facing a difficult task, as she has been signed by CSM to replace Cristina Neagu, who is now injured. But Constantinescu has immense potential – Gheorghe Tadici, who coached her at Zalau, once labelled her “the next big thing in Romanian handball”.

A left back with a powerful shot, Constantinescu has also had her share of injury troubles, being sidelined for more than two years after a difficult shoulder injury.

4) Pernille Wibe (retirement to Vipers Kristiansand)

In the summer of 2017, the Norwegian line player retired following four seasons at Issy Paris Hand, but was tempted by Vipers to take another turn in her career last November.

The 30-year-old Wibe is a strong and experienced player, who has won the European and World Championships with Norway, so she is definitely an asset for Vipers. This is actually the fourth Norwegian club in her career after Bakkelagets SK, Byasen Trondheim and Larvik HK.

3) Melanie Bak (Gjerpen Handball to Brest Bretagne Handball)

During the season, Brest has had problems with their centre backs. Isabelle Gullden went on maternity leave and Amandine Tissier got injured, so the French side have brought in the 25-year-old Dane as a replacement.

Bak, who played for Norway’s Gjerpen for the past two and a half seasons, signed a contract for six months with an extension option for another year.

Notably Bak has played in France before, staying at Union Bordeaux-Mios during 2015/16, and she also had spells at Randers and Kobenhavn in Denmark as well as Krim in Slovenia.

2) Kerstin Wohlbold (maternity leave to Thüringer HC)

The 35-year-old former German international, who had been playing at Thüringer since 2010, went on maternity leave last spring and missed the first half of the current season after giving birth to her daughter Malia in August.

Just before the New Year, Wohlbold made her comeback in the German league, and now the playmaker is ready to help THC in the main round of the Women’s EHF Champions League.

Thüringer have suffered from injuries this season – in particular, the centre back Krisztina Triscsuk was injured while playing Krim - so the club legend Wohlbold steps up to replace her.

1) Crina Pintea (Paris 92 to Gyori Audi ETO KC)

After Yvette Broch suspended her career in August, Gyor were in search of a quality line player, and finally they signed Romanian Pintea from Paris 92.

The 28-year-old, who is good both in defence and attack, had a breakthrough season in 2018, being nominated in the EHF EURO All-Star team. She started her career at Zalau, where she was also used as a left back, and later spent two seasons at Thuringer HC, where she made her debut in the continental top flight.

“I put a lot of hard work to get here and it looks like it really pays off. I am living the dream and everything is really perfect from all standpoints,” Pintea told ehfCL.com.

Read more from the exclusive interview with Pintea here.

Nina Müller (Randers HK to Thüringer HC)
Kristina Kozhokar (Astrakhanochka to Rostov-Don)
Dora Horvath (Kisvardai KC to FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)
Ekaterina Levsha (retirement to Metz Handball)
Nina Bulatovic (Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK to Buducnost)
Lea Krajnc (Zagnos SK to RK Krim)
Katrin Klujber (Dunaujvarosi Kohasz to FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)
Gaelle Le Hir (maternity leave to Brest Bretagne Handball)
Milana Tazhenova (Astrakhanochka to Rostov-Don)
Bianka Acs (reserve team to Gyori Audi ETO KC)
Nikolett Toth (MTK Budapest to FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)
Luca Zsiboras (reserve team to FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria)

Photo Mandatory Credit © Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff