 On 18 August, Niculae scored one goal but he also missed a penalty in a 3–0 away win against Gloria Bistriţa.He scored his first hat-trick for Vaslui on 29 September against Concordia Chiajna in a 3–0 home win.In January 2013, Niculae was closed to return to Sporting Lisbon, but because in the season 2012–13 he played for two teams, Dinamo and Vaslui, his transfer was cancelled.