Farioli returns to Porto to bring “magic” to the new FC Porto | OneFootball

FC Porto are getting ever closer to kicking off the defence of their Primeira Liga title and, to that end, have already begun preparations for the upcoming season.

The Dragons do not want to give their rivals any kind of advantage, and the aim is once again to provide all the ‘weapons’ so that Francesco Farioli can work his ‘magic’, just as happened in 2025/26. André Villas-Boas has been looking for solutions in the transfer market that add value and quality to the blue-and-white squad, also to respond to the departures already confirmed.

According to this Saturday’s edition of O Jogo, Francesco Farioli enjoyed his much-desired summer holidays but had already returned to the Invicta city at the start of the week. Despite having remained in permanent contact with the Porto board, the Italian coach is now preparing for his return to Olival, scheduled for next Wednesday.

This season, the Italian coach will have some changes to his backroom staff, according to the same publication, with the arrivals of video analyst Liam Helsloot and goalkeeping coach Erik Heijblok. Both know Francesco Farioli well, having already worked with him at Ajax.

Even so, Farioli will still have to deal with more changes, as FC Porto have announced three new signings for 2026/27. The first was João Afonso, a goalkeeper from Santa Clara, who will benefit from Diogo Costa’s absence to show what he can do. The youngster is unlikely to become first choice in Porto’s goal, but he is regarded as a talent with room to develop.

The second signing confirmed by André Villas-Boas was André Silva, who returns to FC Porto after several years abroad. The 31-year-old striker arrived at the Dragão on a free transfer from Elche. With Samu still sidelined through injury and Terem Moffi back at Nice after his loan spell, André Silva has an opportunity here to make his mark in front of goal. Deniz Gul is also an option, but the Turkish forward does not yet appear to have fully convinced Francesco Farioli.

The last signing announced is Eirik Granaas, just 16 years old, who will begin his journey at FC Porto in the team, although with room to grow towards the first team. The Norwegian prospect will be involved in the Dragons’ pre-season so he can be assessed by the Italian coach.

In addition, O Jogo reports that Francesco Farioli will also have more players from FC Porto’s academy at his disposal. They are Yoan Pereira, Luís Gomes, Tiago Silva, Bernardo Lima, Mateus Mide, João Teixeira, André Miranda, Duarte Cunha and Eduardo Ferreira.

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