Sporting take unprecedented step with €22m signing after dire season | OneFootball

Fotis Ioannidis has officially gone on holiday, but the Sporting striker’s break will be far from complete. The Greek international has taken with him an individual training plan prepared by Sporting’s Performance Unit, with the clear aim of returning for the 2026/27 pre-season in the best physical condition possible.

After a season marked by several physical problems, the 26-year-old centre-forward understands that next year will be decisive in finally justifying the investment made by the SAD led by Frederico Varandas, which paid Panathinaikos a fixed fee of €22 million for his signing in the summer of 2025.

According to information from newspaper A Bola, Fotis Ioannidis has internally acknowledged the need to cement his integration into the group coached by Rui Borges, especially since he was the last signing to arrive at Alvalade last season and ended up having a campaign heavily affected by injuries.

In total, the striker made just 22 official appearances, registering six goals and three assists in 944 minutes played, figures considered below what Sporting expected when it went ahead with one of the biggest signings in the Club’s history.

The most serious physical problem came in November, against Santa Clara, when he suffered trauma to the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. His recovery ended up dragging on for several months, and the ‘number 87’ never managed to regain any real competitive continuity.

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