Chaínho to Rodrigo Mora: “Best for him to stay at FC Porto” | OneFootball

FC Porto got the 2026/27 season off to the best possible start by winning the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup against Torreense (1-0), and now they are preparing for their Primeira Liga debut. The Dragons want to win the league title again and, to that end, Francesco Farioli has been working during pre-season to refine the team’s football.

One of the main question marks ahead of the upcoming season concerns the use of Rodrigo Mora, who has yet to take on the prominence that many once believed he would naturally reach.

To analyze the issue, Desporto ao Minuto spoke with Carlos Chaínho. The former FC Porto player played down the limited use of the young academy prospect and had plenty of praise for the midfielder. Chaínho began by recalling that the season is only just beginning and that it is still not possible to draw any “conclusions.”

“This is football. There are still many matches to play, and no conclusions can be drawn from the fact that he was not used in the Super Cup. It’s a squad, and the coach’s decisions are part of it, even though he is a player with the qualities we know he has. Now, we have to wait and see what happens,” he began.

After describing the midfielder as an “appealing player,” noting that he has “a contract until 2030 and a release clause worth 70 million euros,” Carlos Chaínho tried to justify Francesco Farioli’s decision.

“No conclusions can be drawn, especially because we do not know whether Rodrigo Mora is coming back from some kind of recovery,” he said.

For that reason, the former footballer does not believe that Rodrigo Mora’s current situation at FC Porto is enough to push him out of the picture. For Chaínho, it is simply a matter of management on Farioli’s part.

“Mora has value that Francesco Farioli knows about and, with more or fewer difficulties, the youngster will end up getting minutes or even becoming a starter. However, his situation at FC Porto is completely normal; I do not see any problem,” he pointed out.

“At the end of the day, the coach chooses the players who are physically in the best condition. I do not know whether that is the case or not, but Rodrigo Mora is a kid with impressive talent, and that cannot be called into question. Besides that, he is an asset FC Porto have well protected, especially because he is one of the most attractive players in terms of transfer value,” he added.

“The best thing for him would be to stay at FC Porto”

Rodrigo Mora’s lack of regular playing time has raised doubts about his importance to the team and, as a result, the possibility of a departure has already been put on the table. In recent days, the FC Porto academy graduate was even linked with clubs in Turkey.

Even so, Carlos Chaínho sees no reason to consider a move and argues that the best thing for the player’s development would be to remain with the blue-and-whites.

“I do not know, I do not know what people’s priorities are. Above all, he can grow in the home he knows. However, if a club comes along and pays the release clause, if the player wants to leave and FC Porto want to sell, there is nothing to be done,” he explained.

“Still, for me, I think that at this stage of his career, the best thing for Rodrigo Mora would be to continue at FC Porto so that he can grow in the environment he knows and where he can develop,” he continued.

The former FC Porto player added that, at this stage of his career, a possible move to another league would require a “solid foundation,” in addition to the player’s own desire to leave the club from Invicta. Chaínho therefore believes that Rodrigo Mora’s immediate future is secure, since the midfielder “gives the impression that he wants to remain in Portugal.”

“But everything will also depend on his representatives and FC Porto, although I think Mora is happy with the Dragons,” he stressed.

Looking ahead to next season, Carlos Chaínho named FC Porto as the main candidate to win the Primeira Liga, as the defending champions, although he warned about the competition’s level of difficulty.

“I always give favoritism to the champions from the previous year, so FC Porto are the favorites. But the other teams are also strong, so I think it will be difficult. It will be tough, but I believe it will be a very good league campaign,” he concluded.

It should be remembered that FC Porto begin their Primeira Liga campaign next Sunday against Alverca at 6 p.m. at the Estádio do Dragão.

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