Leonino exclusive - Sá Pinto snubs midfielder Sporting want to offload | OneFootball

Ricardo Sá Pinto never intended to sign Koba Koindredi for Pafos, Leonino has learned. The midfielder, who belongs to Sporting, was at one point linked with the Cypriot club during this transfer window, but the Portuguese coach never included the player in his plans.

According to what our newspaper has found out, the possibility reported at the time did not stem from any wish on the part of the former Sporting manager. Although Pafos have already received Biel and Alexandre Brito from Alvalade this summer, Sá Pinto never asked for Koindredi’s signing.

The 24-year-old midfielder remains out of Rui Borges’ plans and is working with the B team while awaiting a solution for his future. Sporting intend to move the player on before the window closes, bringing to an end a case that has dragged on since the end of his last loan spell.

At this moment, Grasshopper is the strongest option on the table. The Zurich club have already begun talks with Sporting’s SAD in an attempt to secure Koindredi on loan, in a return to a league the Frenchman knows well after spells with Lausanne and Basel.

Signed from Estoril in January 2024 for €4.25 million, Koba Koindredi made only eight appearances for Sporting’s first team. With no place for him in 2026/27, the Frenchman is now looking for a new destination, but a move to Ricardo Sá Pinto’s Pafos was never part of the Portuguese coach’s plans.

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