Who's out and who's in: overhaul under way in FC Porto B defence | OneFootball

Tiago Ferreira’s return to FC Porto is part of the club’s restructuring plan for next season, with special focus on the Dragons’ B team. The idea is to give the defender, who knows the Porto setup well after seven years linked to the club, a leadership role, helping to develop young players as they make the transition from academy football to the professional game, in a similar approach to the one that recently led André Castro to become assistant to Francesco Farioli.

Last season, Tiago Ferreira was one of the most-used players at Paços de Ferreira, a team that ended up being relegated to Liga 3. Over the course of his career, he built up experience in several foreign leagues, with spells in Belgium, Romania, Hungary, Iran and Albania, in addition to representing several clubs in Portugal. He never made his debut for FC Porto’s first team, and that does not appear likely to happen now either. Instead, he will be part of the revamp that the professional football structure is preparing for the B team’s central defensive unit, under João Brandão. In the opposite direction, Gabriel Brás, who is under contract with the Dragons until 2028, could be loaned to a first-division club to gain further competitive experience after three full seasons with the B team.

Felipe Silva’s departure is also on the table, as A BOLA reported at the time. The 24-year-old Brazilian centre-back was the most-used player in the secondary squad in 2025/26, but he still has a market and could yet bring in a fee for the SAD. This is an option currently being assessed by Porto’s officials. António Ribeiro, meanwhile, is nearing the end of his contract and is looking for a different kind of role.

The competitive space in the B team will also include youngsters Luís Gomes and Martim Chelmik, with the former set to be assessed by Farioli during the national champions’ pre-season (see article above). It is also worth noting that at under-19 level, Filipe Sousa — who has already featured for the B team — Salvador Gomes and Marco Silva are also on João Brandão’s radar and could go on to earn more opportunities.

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