Arrival of João Afonso promises to shake up the goalkeeping pecking order | OneFootball

With enormous growth potential and seen by FC Porto as a very appealing-profile goalkeeper, João Afonso is close to joining the Dragons, in a move designed to prepare the future of the blue-and-white goal.

In an initial phase, it is likely that the Azorean will bridge the gap between the B team, where he may get minutes, and working with the main squad. As André Villas-Boas has already explained, the strategy for the summer is to keep the best players, among them Diogo Costa. Thus, unless the captain or Cláudio Ramos — who is entering the final year of his contract… — move on, the first team is set when it comes to goalkeepers, together with João Costa.

There is also the case of Samuel Portugal. The Brazilian was loaned to Al Akhdoud at the start of the season that has just ended, with the Saudis holding a €1.7 million purchase option. However, relegation is likely to complicate the goalkeeper’s permanent stay at the club. What is certain is that, if he returns to FC Porto, it will not be to stay, especially as his contract runs until June 2027.

Even so, João Afonso’s arrival at the blue-and-white club promises to shake up the hierarchy among the younger goalkeepers.

Gonçalo Ribeiro, 20, ended the season as the first-choice keeper for the B team. Diogo Fernandes, meanwhile, a frequent presence in training sessions led by Francesco Farioli, started 2025/26 as the starter for the reserve side, but ended up losing ground: the last official match he played for the Dragons was at the end of October, against Oliveirense. At 21 and surely wanting to play more regularly, he could be on his way out. But he is unlikely to be the only one. Besides Diogo Fernandes and Gonçalo Ribeiro, there are other notable names in the academy, such as Gonçalo Silva, Antoni Nikolov and Hubert Charuzy. This summer could bring changes…

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