Al Rayyan ace says he could have joined Sporting: Qatar offer better | OneFootball

Tiago Silva revealed that he came very close to joining Sporting in the last summer transfer window and admitted that the move ultimately did not happen for financial reasons. Currently at Al Rayyan, the Portuguese midfielder explained that Sporting’s interest was genuine and arose after the end of the season at Vitória de Guimarães.

"It wasn’t just a rumour. It happened and it’s a fact. It was a real possibility, especially after the last game of the season, precisely against Sporting. I spoke with my agent and realized it really could happen. However, the conditions were not comparable. The offer from Qatar was better," he said in an interview with 'Flashscore'.

The 33-year-old player also admitted that he would have seen the move to Alvalade as the biggest challenge of his career: "It would have been special to work again with Rui Borges, because he was a coach who managed to get the best out of me. But I believe things happen for a reason. I went to Qatar because, at that moment, it was the best decision for me and my family. Going to Sporting would have been the opportunity of my career".

Tiago Silva also explained that his age ended up weighing on the negotiations between the clubs, acknowledging that this factor made an agreement more difficult: "Today, there is a strong focus on young players with resale potential. It is difficult for a club to invest in a player of that age. (...) Few clubs want to invest in a player over 30. That was also an obstacle to my move to Sporting, because the club did not want to pay for my departure from Vitória and Vitória was also not willing to let me leave for Sporting on a free."

The midfielder had glowing praise for Rui Borges: "He is a coach who values the person before the player. He cares about the human side, about what each person is going through off the pitch and their mental state. (...) I think he is an incredible human being and a coach of great quality. He was never a consensus choice at Sporting, that is the truth. Since he arrived, I think he also caught the worst possible period. He came in to replace Ruben Amorim (...) They were still mourning Amorim, and I think that was not beneficial for him".

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