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

FC Porto got their 2026/27 season off to the best possible start by beating Torreense (1-0) to win the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, and are now preparing for their Primeira Liga opener. The blue and whites are aiming to win the league title again and, to that end, Francesco Farioli has been working during pre-season to refine the Dragons’ 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 leading role many once believed he would naturally reach.

To analyse the issue, Desporto ao Minuto spoke with Carlos Chaínho. The former FC Porto player played down the young academy prospect’s limited involvement and had high praise for the midfielder. Chaínho began by stressing that the season is only just starting and that it is still not possible to draw any “conclusions”.

“This is football. There are many games left and you can’t draw conclusions just because he wasn’t 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. For now, we just have to wait and see what happens,” he began.

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

“No conclusions can be drawn, especially since we don’t know whether Rodrigo Mora is coming back from some kind of recovery,” he said.

For that reason, the former footballer does not believe 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 well and, with more or less difficulty, the youngster will end up getting minutes or even starting. However, his current situation at FC Porto is completely normal, I don’t see any problem at all,” he pointed out.

“At the end of the day, the coach chooses the players who are in the best physical condition. I don’t know if that’s the case or not, but Rodrigo Mora is a kid with impressive talent and that cannot be questioned. Besides that, he is an asset FC Porto have well protected, not least because he is one of the most attractive players in terms of potential sales,” 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 has even been linked with clubs in Turkey.

Even so, Carlos Chaínho sees no reason to consider an exit and argues that the best thing for the player’s development would be to remain with the blue and white club.

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

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

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

“But everything will also depend on his representatives and FC Porto. Still, 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 reigning champions, although he warned about the level of difficulty of the competition.

“I always give the edge to the team that were champions the previous year, so FC Porto are favourites. But the other teams are strong as well, so I think it will be complicated. It will be difficult, but I believe it will be a very good championship,” 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.