Regret selling Zalazar to Sporting? António Salvador replies | OneFootball

The transfer of Rodrigo Zalazar from Braga to Sporting, for 30 million euros, became the biggest deal ever between two Portuguese clubs. Months after the Uruguayan midfielder’s departure, António Salvador has no regrets and believes the transfer ultimately benefited all parties involved.

In an interview with Canal 11, the president of the Minho club recalled the player’s importance to the team and explained that the departure had already been planned before the start of the season: "Zalazar was a very important player, one of the best in the league, he broke every record. At the start of the season, we decided he would leave. He spent three years in Braga and players have cycles. In the end, clubs must make the most of them financially. He was highly valued and it was a good deal for everyone."

The Uruguayan - who has also already spoken about the move - was not, however, the only major sale. Lukas Hornicek also left the Minho club for 30 million euros, in this case to join Newcastle. The goalkeeper’s departure ended up opening the door for Bernardo Fontes’ return, although Salvador assures that the two deals were not directly related.

"When we let Bernardo Fontes leave, we made sure we could bring him back in the first or second year. We did not bring him back because Hornicek’s departure was already planned. At first, we believed he could stay on, but he had a release clause and there was a club that paid it. In fact, they paid more, 30.570 million, when the clause was 30 million euros. It was good for the club, for the player, who dreamed of playing in the English league, and he left. Bernardo returned and we are happy with him," explained the Braga president.

Salvador also believes that Braga managed to offset the various departures with strong investment in the squad. "They left and they were important, but we strengthened and I believe we have a great squad, more balanced than last year. We made a very big investment, bigger than we had ever made before. So we believe we are going to have a good league campaign and a good season."

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