Portugal Football

Andre Pires to Join Beira-Mar

ruiportugalfigo — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:02:49 +0000

Andre Pires

Belenenses to Beira-Mar (End of season)

Belenenses left-back Andre Pires is set to join Liga Zon Sagres side Beira-Mar at the end of the season, according to reports coming out of Portugal. Pires has been at Belenenses since 2008, when he joined the club’s youth setup. One season later, he was promoted into the first-team, and has practically been a regular ever since. Pires will be the second Belenenses player to leave the club after it is widely rumored that Abel Camara is also set to join Beira-Mar.

Transfer Rumors – 1/29/12

ruiportugalfigo — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:01:32 +0000

Thus far this transfer window has been quite quiet, but as the month continues and the transfer window begins to draw to a close, more moves are likely. Here are a few interesting, if unimportant, rumors that we will have to keep an eye on over the next three days.

Abel Camara

Belenenses to Beira-Mar?

Beira-Mar looks set to sign Abel Camara, who is currently on Belenenses’s books in the Liga Orangina. Abel has been a regular for both Belenenses and the Portuguese Under-21 team for some time now, so a move to the Portuguese top-flight looks inevitable. Though an official announcement has not yet happened, the move looks likely, and Beira-Mar could confirm it as soon as Monday.

Tiago Targino

Vitoria Guimaraes to Servette (loan)?

Vitoria Guimaraes winger Tiago Targino looks set for a loan move to Swiss side Servette, as his playing time at the Portuguese club has been limited this season. Much like Abel’s proposed move, this move looks very likely to occur very soon. Targino will join Servette on loan for the remainder of the season.

Yannick Pointed Towards Benfica

ruiportugalfigo — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:07:45 +0000

Yannick Djalo

Unattached to Benfica?

After a failed trial with Premier League side Aston Villa and some false rumors linking him to Porto, Yannick Djalo is now on Benfica’s radar, according to the Italian press. The Portuguese club has supposedly offered the winger a three year contract that will run out sometime in 2015. Although Benfica look to be the frontrunners for his signature, Parma and Sampdoria are also said to be interested, and are keeping a close eye on his proposed move to Benfica.

Liga Orangina Youngsters to Watch: Dani

ruiportugalfigo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:37:33 +0000

Dani Coelho

Sporting Covilha

Player to Watch

Talented Portuguese right-backs are becoming more common than in recent years. Dani Coelho can easily be named as one of the most talented young right-backs playing in Portugal. Currently owned by Braga, he has spent two spells in the Portuguese Second Division B, which is the third tier in Portugal. He is playing his trade this season at Liga Orangina side Sporting Covlila, and has had a decent debut season in the league.

Dani first rose to prominence, more or less, when, at the age of 19, he was named on the bench for two of Braga’s games. He did not appear in either of those games, and has not yet made an appearance for Braga in the league. He has, however, been making appearances for lower division clubs. Only aged 22, Dani has already made 38 appearances in the Portuguese Second Division B, and ten in the Liga Orangina. Those are some impressive tallies for a player of his age.

Courtesy of his impressive performances for Estrela Amadora and Vizela, both in the Portuguese Second Division B, Dani earned a call-up to the Portuguese Under-21 team in early 2011 for a match against Sweden. He made his debut in that match, starting and playing until halftime. That was not to be his last appearance for the team, however. He has gone on to play for the team a further three times, and has been generally impressive.

Judging on his performances for Sporting Covilha and the Portugal Under-21 team, Dani is certainly a possibility for Braga’s first team next season. The defender is certainly a star for the future.

Veloso Wanted by Inter Milan

ruiportugalfigo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:18:59 +0000

Miguel Veloso

Genoa to Inter?

According to reports coming out of Portugal, Inter Milan are lining up a move for Genoa defensive midfielder Miguel Veloso. Veloso was disappointing last season for the Italian club, but has been much better so far this season. Due to his fine performances, clubs such as Lazio and CSKA Moscow, and more recently Inter Milan, were on his tail. Inter, however, look to be the most likely destination if Veloso were to leave Genoa. Inter’s Thiago Motta is set to be sold to PSG, and the club regards Veloso as the perfect replacement. Inter is also interested in Porto playmaker Freddy Guarin, so Veloso’s move may depend on whether the Colombian completes his move.

Salvador Agra Signs for Betis

ruiportugalfigo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:06:59 +0000

Salvador Agra

Olhanense to Real Betis (end of season)

It is finally official. Olhanense winger Salvador Agra has signed for La Liga side Real Betis. There had been speculation as to whether or not the deal had actually gone through, but all doubts were vanquished whan the Olhanense president confirmed the transfer. Agra won’t meet up with his new teammates just yet, however. The winger is poised to finish the season with the Portuguese club. Real Betis grabbed the winger for a fee of 200,000 euros, and Olhanense still hold 10% of his rights.

Opinion: How B Teams will Affect Portuguese Football

ruiportugalfigo — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:39:23 +0000

The Liga Zon Sagres high-ups announced that, starting next season, Benfica, Porto, Sporting, Braga, Maritimo, and Vitoria Guimaraes will all have the ability to add their B teams into the Liga Orangina, which is the Portuguese second-tier. Existing teams in the Liga Orangina won’t be booted out, but the league will grow by six teams. This bit of news comes as a surprise at this time, as B teams have not been fully utilized in recent years in Portugal. Now, however, the six largest teams in Portugal (at least by the federation’s standards) will have the option of sending their players down a division, instead of sending them out on loan. This is an obvious advantage, but there are some less obvious disadvantages.

During the past few years, the smaller clubs playing in the Liga Zon Sagres have benefited from taking players from the big three on loan. One of the more recent and relevant examples is Adrien Silva. The midfielder didn’t quite have what it took at Sporting Lisbon, so he was loaned out to Academica for this entire season. He has since flourished at the mid-table club. Next season, he will almost certainly be a part of the first team at Sporting, courtesy of his fine performances and overall development while at Academica. Without these players, the “smaller” clubs in the league would suffer. With the inclusion of the B teams in the Liga Orangina, the top clubs won’t necessarily be looking for Liga Zon Sagres clubs interested in loaning a player not developed enough for first-team action. They can simply keep him in the squad, and let him develop at the B team, without the hassle of loaning him to another Liga Zon Sagres club. Also, with the big clubs not having to babysit the fringe players by looking for loan moves for them, the big clubs can grow in size. These clubs now won’t have to be concerned with the size of their team, as they can send these players down to the B team to gain experience and ready them for first team action. This may cause a total split between these six clubs and the remaining clubs in Portugal. Many would argue that there is already a split, and if the B teams were to be added to the Liga Orangina, the big clubs would get bigger, and the small clubs would get smaller.

Its not all bad, however. In terms of nurturing Portuguese talent, the inclusions of the B teams will be beneficial. Instead of sending a player out on loan, the club can now send the player down a division and have him play for the B team. The player can still train with the first team, which may prove to be quite valuable to his development, while still getting in minutes with the B team. In other words, youngsters coming out of the youth academies now have a viable option for playing time. Instead of looking abroad for opportunities, the youngsters can continue to develop at the B team. Also, who’s to say that the smaller Liga Zon Sagres clubs won’t still get players on loan from the big clubs? If a player is developed enough for the first team at, let’s say, SL Benfica, but he doesn’t quite fit in to the formation, or doesn’t yet gel with his teammates, Benfica will search for a Liga Zon Sagres club to loan him to. Some players are simply too skilled and experienced for the Liga Orangina. Because of this, loans will still be made to clubs like Academica and Olhanense, and football in Portugal, at least in this sense, won’t be affected for the worse.

The inclusion of B teams into the Liga Orangina for Benfica, Porto, Sporting, Maritimo, Braga, and Vitoria Guimaraes may turn into a great move. It also may not. There is no way of knowing how this decision will affect football in Portugal next season, but one thing is for certain: it will make it more interesting.

U-21 Squad Announced

ruiportugalfigo — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:07:38 +0000

Portugal U-21 coach Rui Jorge has named a squad of 21 for a training session during next week. The team is preparing for the upcoming U-21 Euro qualifying matches, and will hope to build on what has arguably been a successful campaign thus far.

Goalkeepers: Luis Ribeiro (Camacha), Mika (Benfica), Anthony Lopes (Lyon)

Defenders: Cedric (Academica), Andre Almeida (Benfica), Luis Martins (Benfica), Ivo Pinto (Leiria), Roderick (Servette), Pedro Mendes (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Pedro Coronas (Penafiel), David Simao (Academica), Flavio Ferreira (Academica), Pele (Milan), Diogo Rosado (Feirense), Ludovic (Feirense), Josue (Pacos Ferreira), Paulo Grilo (Santa Clara)

Forwards: Abel (Belenenses), Nelson Oliveira (Benfica), Fredy (Libolo), Joao Silva (Vitoria Setubal)

David Simao Loaned to Academica

ruiportugalfigo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:35:50 +0000

David Simao

Benfica to Academica (loan)

Benfica midfielder David Simao has joined fellow Liga Zon Sagres outfit Academica on loan until the end of the season. Simao had been promoted to the first team this season at Benfica, but has found playing time non-existent. The midfielder has only managed two appearances for the club so far this season, and both have been in the Taca de Portugal, which is the cup competition. Now, David Simao will join high-flying Academica on loan for the rest of the season, in an effort to gain playing time.

Daniel Fernandes Joins Twente

ruiportugalfigo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:01:52 +0000

Daniel Fernandes

CFR Cluj to Twente

Portuguese nomad goalkeeper Daniel Fernandes has left CFR Cluj and joined Dutch side Twente. The goalkeeper joined Cluj in the summer from Bochum, but slid down in the pecking order. Fernandes had only managed two appearances for the Romanian powerhouse, so he opted for a free transfer to Dutch powerhouse FC Twente. The goalkeeper has signed a two-year contract and will now compete with Nikolay Mihaylov for the no.1 position.