André Silva set for FC Porto XI in official debut against Torreense | OneFootball

André Silva is one of FC Porto’s main signings for this summer transfer window and, most likely, the one who could take on the greatest importance in the near future, especially because of the impact he may have on the team’s attacking dynamics.

Back at the club where he came through the ranks, nine years after spells in Germany, Italy and Spain, the Portuguese forward has made a strong impression in training and added goals to his good performances. On Saturday, he contributed to Porto’s win in the friendly against Birmingham City, which brought FC Porto’s training camp in England to a close.

Given the current situation, André Silva could make his debut in the only domestic competition he has yet to play in or win: the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup.

At the moment, Deniz Gul and André Silva are the only options Francesco Farioli has available for the striker position. Samu Aghehowa is in the final stage of a long recovery process and is only expected to be available to compete again around November. As such, the battle for a starting spot should come down to the Portuguese and the Turkish players.

Deniz Gul, who represented Turkey at the 2026 World Cup, ended last season as FC Porto’s starting striker, benefiting from the injuries to Luuk de Jong and Samu. However, he may now lose that status to André Silva, mainly because of what the Portuguese forward has shown in recent weeks of training, a level of performance that even earned praise from Francesco Farioli.

“André Silva is very motivated to be back home. He arrived in excellent physical condition, as you could see in the video where he scored an overhead kick. His attitude, his quality and the connection he has to the reality of FC Porto are very strong. He really wanted to come back; it was one of the quickest negotiations ever. He is highly motivated and will show it very soon,” said the Italian coach in a recent media appearance with journalists at Olival.

Besides having started pre-season later than André Silva because of his participation in the final stages of the 2026 World Cup, Deniz Gul has also been linked with a possible departure from FC Porto. At the same time, the blue-and-white club is actively searching the market for another option for the No. 9 position.

There is, however, one certainty at this point: with around two weeks to go before the official start of FC Porto’s season, André Silva, who recently scored a stunning overhead kick in training, has a clear path to making the team’s first official starting XI of the season against Torreense. The match against the Torres Vedras side, in Coimbra, is scheduled for 1 August.

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