Fofana has won over Pedro Emanuel: “He’s got FC Porto’s grit” | OneFootball

Seko Fofana has been a pleasant surprise since arriving at FC Porto on loan from Rennes this season, adding depth and options to Francesco Farioli’s bench in midfield.

On Thursday, Pedro Emanuel spoke about the midfielder, but before analyzing his spell at FC Porto, the Portuguese coach also touched on the French international’s time in the Saudi Arabian league, where he faced him as an opponent, feeling that he did not make the desired impact.

“He arrived during a major overhaul of the Al Nassr squad, with a lot of investment. He wasn’t cheap because he had had an excellent season in France,” Pedro Emanuel began in comments to newspaper O Jogo.

“But although he established himself, he didn’t have the desired impact, and his departure ended up opening a spot in January. Foreign players who don’t perform straight away here are generally expendable. He wasn’t as outstanding as he is now at FC Porto,” he continued.

“He is showing his best qualities as a very physical box-to-box midfielder, a powerful number eight in duels, very strong when getting into the box. He is scoring goals and making the difference at FC Porto,” the Portuguese coach said.

Pedro Emanuel believes Fofana’s loan to FC Porto has been very beneficial, to the point that a permanent transfer could make sense for the Dragons.

“It’s clear it was the right move because of the way FC Porto play, the intensity they bring and their need for the physical power of their midfielders. You only had to see how evident that was against Stuttgart and Sporting Braga,” he assessed, also recalling his importance after Stephen Eustáquio’s departure from the squad.

“He added physical strength and drive, and that translates into extra quality for any team. Farioli said someone would only come in if a midfielder left. Eustáquio left, and he was more technical, very different. Now there is more intensity, and the physical side makes up for the lack of some technical finesse. Fofana has fit like a glove, he is being important and he feels that. He is already showing that happiness to his teammates and the fans. They needed someone else because of all the competitions, so they wouldn’t drop their level,” he stressed.

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