José Eduardo regrets Sporting losing their talisman, says he’s gutted | OneFootball

José Eduardo, former player of the Alvalade Club, feels that the footballer still had much more to give in service to Sporting.

José Eduardo regrets the departure of Conrad Harder from Sporting. The striker is on his way to Germany’s Leipzig for a fee of around 26 million euros, but the former player of the Alvalade Club feels that the forward still had much to offer the Lions.

"The way Harder addressed the fans and said goodbye to the stands was significant.... I’m very sorry, because I think a 20-year-old player, with the will to win, with the sense of opportunity he has, could have developed a very good career at Sporting. But we have to give the benefit of the doubt to the coach and the management, because they are the ones with the players day after day. They will therefore be able to make that assessment with more information than I have as a supporter. I think he’s a player with unique characteristics that, if well developed, could have been very well utilized by Sporting," he began by saying, in an interview with ‘Notícias ao Minuto’.

Even so, José Eduardo is confident that Rui Borges’s team will be able to make up for the departure of the Dane: "When you go out to get players, it’s always with the perspective that they will improve the team. The results, however, depend on a variety of factors. Currently, I see a balanced team; if the players come, they will certainly bring other qualities, other characteristics, but then it depends on how they adapt to the team, it depends on the coach," he said.

The former Lion analyzed Sporting’s transfer market: "We’re not going after extraordinary players, let’s be clear. We don’t have the ability to go after world-class players, anyway, we’re getting good players, but... I think the team is getting stronger. Let’s see how they adapt, the opportunities given by the coach," José Eduardo concluded.

Thus, Conrad Harder brings his time at Sporting to an end. Arriving in the summer of 2024 from Nordsjælland, the youngster played a total of 52 games wearing the Lion on his chest. In 1,669 minutes played, he scored 12 goals and provided seven assists. His last goal for the green and whites came in the away match in Madeira, in the 4-1 win over Nacional.

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