Leonino exclusive, Dias Ferreira eyes Palhinha at Sporting: It'd be a... | OneFootball

José Dias Ferreira says that João Palhinha would be a great signing for Sporting. In this exclusive interview with Jornal Leonino, the former director of the Alvalade club and well-known Sporting supporter not only commented on this rumour, but also spoke about the National Team call-ups, gave his opinion on the arrival of Rodrigo Zalazar, and looked ahead to the Portuguese Cup final against Torreense.

"Rui Silva, Gonçalo Inácio and Francisco Trincão called up? I agree. I think they can add a lot for the World Cup, they are fairly decent players. From Roberto Martínez’s point of view, they must be solid players," he began by telling our newspaper.

Left out were names such as João Palhinha, Mateus Fernandes, Pote and Paulinho. For the former candidate for the lions’ presidency, these choices are not surprising, coming from the man who made the decision. "I have nothing to say, they were already expected. I already know Martínez, this is nothing new. He has been here long enough for us to know what his choices are", he stressed.

Regarding the rumour of João Palhinha returning to Alvalade, José Dias Ferreira has no doubts about the impact of his arrival. "I think he would be an excellent signing. He must still have a lot to offer. I think he would be a midfielder with the temperament, ability and class to replace and make people forget Morten Hjulmand," he said.

Sporting have been active in the market with the official signing of Zalazar and the possible arrivals of Pedro Lima and Issa Doumbia. The well-known Sporting supporter praises the speed of the board led by Frederico Varandas. "Zalazar was one of the best players in this league. At first there was even talk that he was going to Benfica and I was actually surprised that Sporting were not interested. But at least they were interested and ahead of them in the process. I think Sporting are trying to follow the same policy as in previous years and signing players from our league seems right to me", he said.

To conclude, Dias Ferreira spoke about the final of the Taça de Portugal against Torreense. The club’s former General Assembly chairman, between 2009 and 2011, considers Sporting the favourites, but stresses that the opponent should not be underestimated. "I hope Sporting win, but they must be aware that Torreense are from the Second League. Torreense’s players will give everything to make life difficult and, therefore, we have enough experience to know that we cannot take it easy. We have to play against Torreense as we would against Benfica or Porto. But I am convinced that Sporting will end the season in a very acceptable way," he concluded.

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