Stephan Negru (born 24 July 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Oxford United. Born in Ireland, he plays for the Moldova national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephan Negru[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 July 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Oxford United | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Lourdes Celtic | |||
| 2017–2022 | Shelbourne | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Shelbourne | 6 | (1) |
| 2023– | Oxford United | 15 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Salford City (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2025 | → Salford City (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | → Bristol Rovers (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2026 | → Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | Moldova | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:01, 3 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 March 2026 | |||
Club career
editBorn in Dublin,[2] Negru started his career with Lourdes Celtic, before moving to Shelbourne in 2017.[3] Having spent six years playing youth football for Shelbourne, he made his debut in August 2022, playing 90 minutes in a 4–0 FAI Cup win over Bonagee United.[3][4] He marked his debut in the League of Ireland Premier Division with a goal; the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Finn Harps.[3][4]
On 15 December 2022, it was announced that Negru would join EFL League One side Oxford United on 1 January 2023.[4][5][6][7][8] Upon joining, he stated his intention to progress to the first team as soon as possible.[7] He was named on the bench for Oxford United's FA Cup tie against Arsenal, but did not feature as his side lost 3–0.[9] He made his first-team and League One debut as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on 7 April 2023,[10] and his full debut in the following match, a goalless away draw at Port Vale on 9 April, in which he suffered a suspected broken nose,[11] though later scans showed there was no fracture.[12]
After an injury to Jordan Thorniley early in the 2023–24 season led to a run of first-team appearances,[13] Negru's promising form reportedly attracted interest from Premier League teams, prompting the club to extend his contract in September 2023.[14]
In June 2024 he signed on loan for Salford City for the 2024–25 season.[15] On 8 January 2025 his season-long loan was terminated and he was recalled to Oxford United amid a defensive injury crisis at his parent club.[16] On 23 January however, he returned on loan to Salford City for the remainder of the season.[17][18]
On 1 September 2025, Negru joined League Two club Bristol Rovers on a season-long loan.[19][20] In February 2026 he moved on loan to Tranmere Rovers.[21][22]
On 11 May 2026 Oxford said the player would leave in the summer when his contract expired.[23]
International career
editBorn in Ireland, Negru is of Moldovan descent.[24][25]
On 18 March 2026, Negru received his first call up to the senior Moldova squad for the friendly matches against Lithuania and Cyprus.[2] On 30 March 2026, Negru made his international debut for Moldova, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–3 loss to Cyprus.[26]
Style of play
editAn aggressive defender, who describes his defending style as "old-school", Negru lists John Terry as a player he models his game on.[7][27] He is noted for his heading and tackling abilities, and is described as a physical player.[27]
Personal life
editRegarding his Moldovan heritage, his surname Negru literally means "black" in the Romanian language. This became a center of discussion when, on 24 September 2023, IShowSpeed called Negru via Instagram during a livestream. The two engaged in a comical conversation regarding FIFA cards and his surname, to which Negru clarified the pronunciation of his name and his background. The call concluded with the two playfully barking at each other, IShowSpeed's well-known signature. During the call, however, Negru's number was accidentally leaked to the audience.[28][29]
Career statistics
edit- As of 2 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Shelbourne | 2022[30] | LOI Premier Division | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 1 | ||
| Oxford United | 2022–23[31] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023–24[32] | League One | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[33] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26[34] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Salford City (loan) | 2024–25[33] | League Two | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| Bristol Rovers (loan) | 2025–26[34] | League Two | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 2025–26[34] | League Two | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Career total | 70 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 86 | 1 | ||
References
edit- ↑ "Club List of Registered Players" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- 1 2 "Stephan Negru, convocat în premieră la Națională". fmf.md (in Romanian). 18 March 2026. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Stephan Negru, debut cu gol în campionatul Irlandei!" [Stephan Negru, debut with a goal in the Irish championship!]. fmf.md (in Romanian). 1 October 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- 1 2 3 "Stephan Negru departs Shels". Shelbourne F.C. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ↑ "Stephan Negru To Join Oxford United". Oxford United F.C. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ↑ "Stephan Negru: Oxford United sign Shelbourne defender". BBC Sport. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- 1 2 3 Rice, Liam (16 December 2022). "Oxford United new signing Stephan Negru eyes first team place". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ↑ Doyle, Garry (15 December 2022). "Shels lose talented defender Negru to Oxford United". The42.
- ↑ "Stephan Negru a fost pentru prima oară inclus în raportul de joc al clubului Oxford United. Adversar a fost Arsenal" [Stephan Negru was for the first time included in the match report of the Oxford United club. The opponent was Arsenal]. moldfootball.com (in Romanian). 10 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ↑ Rice, Liam (7 April 2023). "Oxford United hold Sheffield Wednesday in Liam Manning first home game". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
Moore took a bang to the head though in the aftermath of his chance and was replaced by Stephan Negru, on for his U's debut.
- ↑ Williams, Chris (9 April 2023). "REPORT Port Vale 0 Oxford United 0". Oxford United F.C. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ↑ McCadden, Mark (11 April 2023). "Former Shelbourne defender receives update after getting elbow to the nose". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ↑ "Stephan Negru: Oxford United defender signs new long-term deal to stay at the club". BBC Sport. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ↑ Rice, Liam (8 September 2023). "Stephan Negru signs new contract with Oxford United". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ↑ "Stephan Negru: Salford City sign Oxford United defender on loan". BBC Sport. 29 June 2024.
- ↑ "U's recall defender Negru as keeper McGinty leaves". BBC Sport. 9 January 2025.
- ↑ "Stephan Negru is back on loan". www.salfordcityfc.co.uk. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ↑ "Salford City sign Leyton Orient's Lewis Warrington and re-sign Oxford United defender on loan". BBC Sport. 23 January 2025.
- ↑ "Bristol Rovers sign Stephan Negru on season-long loan". www.bristolrovers.co.uk. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ↑ "Bristol Rovers transfer news: Joel Cotterill and Stephan Negru join". BBC Sport. 1 September 2025.
- ↑ https://www.tranmererovers.co.uk/news/2026/february/02/-stephan-negru-has-joined-tranmere-rovers-from-oxford-united-until-the-end-of-the-season/
- ↑ "Lewis Warrington, Zech Obiero, Max Dickov & Stephan Negru join Tranmere Rovers". BBC Sport. 2 February 2026.
- ↑ "Oxford United: Przemyslaw Placheta and nine others to leave Oxford". BBC Sport. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ↑ Rice, Liam (21 December 2022). "Oxford United's Stephan Negru on playing international football". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ↑ McCadden, Mark (2 October 2022). "Moldova chasing top young Shelbourne star". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ↑ "Cyprus 3–2 Moldova". 30 March 2026.
- 1 2 Rice, Liam (4 January 2023). "Insight on Oxford United's former Shelbourne defender Stephan Negru". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ↑ "Trolls mock IShowSpeed for his 'yellow teeth' as he grills Stephan Negru over his last name". MEAWW. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ↑ Prasad, Sneh (25 September 2023). ""I am so sorry bro," IShowSpeed leaks Irish footballer Stephan Negru's phone number on livestream". FirstSportz. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ↑ Stephan Negru at Soccerway
- ↑ "Games played by Stephan Negru in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ↑ "Games played by Stephan Negru in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- 1 2 "Games played by Stephan Negru in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Games played by Stephan Negru in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 September 2025.