Fofana's high wages could rule out stay at FC Porto | OneFootball

A standout figure in FC Porto’s win in Braga, Fofana has established himself as a true reinforcement in the fullest sense of the term, since whenever he is used by Francesco Farioli, he delivers on the pitch and has been a valuable help to the team in the pursuit of its objectives.

After catching the eye in the clássico against Sporting, in the league, by coming onto the pitch with contagious energy that completely unsettled the lions’ defence and culminated in a goal after a play showing great persistence, the midfielder once again earned the Italian coach’s trust in Braga and, once again, added intensity to the dragons. He was decisive in scoring the blue-and-whites’ second goal, throwing the door wide open to the national title, given that the visit to the warriors of Minho is, in theory, the most difficult away challenge remaining until the end of the competition.

On loan from Rennes until June, the Ivory Coast international has shown plenty of grit and determination on the pitch, and the blue-and-white world has been won over by his potential, even going so far as to ask André Villas-Boas to make a financial effort at the end of the season and move to buy his rights.

The player’s quality is not in question, but there is a major obstacle that, at first glance, makes that scenario unworkable. Fofana earns a princely salary at Rennes, the club with which he is under contract until 2029, figures that are clearly beyond the financial reality of FC Porto’s SAD.

With a profile suited to FC Porto and highly appreciated by Francesco Farioli, who knows him from his spell at French side Nice, Fofana feels good at the Dragão, but he earns wages far too high for FC Porto to match. In fact, the loan was only possible because, in France, he had the status of a substitute and was looking for a different challenge to relaunch his career. In short, Fofana gave up a lot of money to accept playing six months with the dragons on his chest and to fill a gap that was evident in the squad coached by Francesco Farioli.

It is clear that Fofana, just like Moffi, Oskar Pietuszewski and Thiago Silva, was one of the winter signings who added both quantity and quality to Porto’s working group, since all of them have shown ability and a willingness to help put FC Porto back on the path to success.

At 30 years of age and with three more seasons left on his contract with Rennes, always on a very attractive wage packet, Fofana has left his mark on this FC Porto side under Francesco Farioli, even without the status of an undisputed starter. He arrived to add quality to the midfield and the results are there for all to see.

Already with two important goals in the long marathon that is the league campaign — which the dragons hope to finish in first place at the Aliados — the winter signing has won the favour of the demanding blue-and-white world, and not even the penalty he conceded at Alvalade, in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, dented his image among the fans of the club from the Invicta city.

He has a very physical profile, something that clearly makes a difference in the style of play advocated by Francesco Farioli. Buying his rights is practically unrealistic for the SAD led by André Villas-Boas, unless the midfielder were to reach an agreement for an amicable termination with Rennes and accept a substantial pay cut. Otherwise, a return to France is considered certain.

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