Farioli on Deniz Gul’s versatility: “He can play out wide as well”

In partnership with

Portal dos Dragões

·21. November 2025

Farioli on Deniz Gul’s versatility: “He can play out wide as well”

In the preview of the Portuguese Cup match against Sintrense, Francesco Farioli, FC Porto’s coach, was asked by A BOLA about Deniz Gul’s development and whether the return of Luuk de Jong could reduce the Turkish international’s playing time.

Farioli did not hold back in praising Gul, highlighting the striker’s physical ability and tactical attributes: “I have already made my opinion clear about Gul. He is a player with incredible physical ability, speed, and intelligence. He is a player we can trust.”

OneFootball Videos

The Porto coach also emphasized that the arrival of Luuk De Jong creates a “good problem” for the coaching staff, who are looking to explore different solutions to maximize the available talent. Farioli stated that he is considering new approaches, including using two strikers or placing Gul on the wing: “I believe Deniz can also play as a winger, even though it’s not his natural position, and we can play with two strikers, a situation we can explore at certain moments. It will be a good challenge to find the best solution to maximize the qualities of our forwards.”

“We are in a very private environment, the phone doesn’t have much signal, the television doesn’t work very well. We have to focus on what we can control,” the coach began by saying, stressing that internal work is the priority. For Farioli, the team’s success depends on constant demands, not only from the technical staff but also from the players: “We are excellent in the demands we set, and when I say that, I mean the technical staff, but also the players, led by a great captain who demands more from himself and his teammates every day, just like the other players who make up the group of captains,” he praised.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.