Yashar Durmushev stated that the termination of the contract with Bulgarian attacking midfielder Ivelin Popov, 38, was at the player's request. Durmushev pointed out that Popov wants to be close to his family because Kardzhali is far from Sofia. Durmushev denied that there was any conflict between Ivelin Popov and coach Aleksandar Tunchev. The separation happened on friendly terms. Popov joined Arda Kardzhali in September 2025, and his contract was due to expire in June 2026. The veteran has 90 caps and 16 goals for Bulgaria. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €25k.