Venezia director reveals how Doumbia ended up at Sporting | OneFootball

Issa Doumbia has already been officially announced as a Sporting signing, but the operation that took the Italian midfielder to Alvalade began long before it was made public. Filippo Antonelli, sporting director of Venezia, revealed that the Lions followed the player for several months before moving forward with the signing.

Speaking to SportMediaset, the Italian official highlighted the way the Lions handled the entire process. "Sporting worked for months to secure Doumbia’s signing and did so in the right way and at the right time", he said, praising the strategy adopted by the green-and-whites to secure the midfielder.

Antonelli also believes that the transfer represents a well-deserved reward for the player after the season he had with Venezia. "It was only fair to reward a young player who will now be able to compete in the Champions League", added the official from the Italian club.

Doumbia was one of the standout players for the Italian team in 2025/26, taking on a prominent role throughout the season. The midfielder’s performances attracted interest from several clubs, but it was ultimately Sporting who secured the signing of the 22-year-old player.

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