in a 3–2 home victory over Charleroi and receiving a standing ovation as he was substituted in the 85th minute by Olivier Deschacht. His first goals for the club came on 3 November in a Europa League group stage match against Mainz, when he netted twice for a 6–1 win. On 5 December, he was sent off for the first time in his career after receiving a second yellow card while playing against Kortrijk, having previously scored in the first half of the game which Anderlecht won 3–1. Stanciu netted his first goal of 2017 in a league game against Sint-Truiden on 22 January, with his performance also earning him a man of the match award. On 9 March, he scored the winner against APOEL in the Europa League round of 16's first leg. He ended his first season in Brussels with eight goals and eight assists in all competitions, as the team won the national championship and subsequently qualified for the Champions League group stage. At the beginning of the following campaign, Stanciu changed his squad number from 73 to 10. He was a starter in the 2–1 win in the Belgian Super Cup against Zulte Waregem, on 22 July 2017. Sparta Prague On 18 January 2018, Stanciu underwent a medical with Sparta Prague. The transfer was confirmed five days later, with the player penning a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around €4.5 million which would be a Czech Republic record. According to the press, Anderlecht could also receive another €4.5 million in add-ons. On his competitive debut on 18 February 2018, Stanciu helped to a 2–0 win against Slovan Liberec after scoring in the fifth minute. On 17 March, he netted twice before half-time in a derby with Slavia Prague which ended 3–3. He finished the 2017–18 campaign with six goals in fourteen appearances, all in the Czech First League. Stanciu played in both legs of the 2018–19 Europa League second qualifying round against Spartak Subotica, as his team was eliminated prematurely after 3–2 on aggregate. He netted his first goal of the season on 12 August 2018, converting a free kick in a 4–0 away victory over Teplice. In early December, after a series of poor results for Sparta, he was supposedly among the eleven players who refused to train under coach Zdeněk Ščasný. Al-Ahli On 28 January 2019, Stanciu was transferred for