FC Porto return to Champions League, new chapter for André Villas-Boas | OneFootball

The future is already on the horizon for FC Porto, and André Villas-Boas is preparing for yet another first as president of the blue-and-white club. At stake is the Champions League, a competition he has already taken part in as a coach and which now opens a new chapter in the first term of the Porto leader.

After a season in which they won their first national championship title, there is still plenty of work to be done, especially after the team has already lost some players who were crucial to that achievement.

With a coach who will also be making his debut in Europe’s elite competition, it will certainly be a special moment for André Villas-Boas and Francesco Farioli to hear the Champions League anthem once again at the Estádio do Dragão.

As a coach, the current FC Porto president never got beyond the quarter-finals, when he was in charge of Zenit, Russia, in 2015/16, and was knocked out precisely by Benfica.

To try to overcome that mental barrier, Villas-Boas will have to create the right conditions for Francesco Farioli, with reinforcements capable of making up for the already confirmed departures of Thiago Silva, Seko Fofana, Terem Moffi, and also Luuk de Jong, players who brought a great deal of experience to the blue-and-white squad.

The Champions League millions and the club’s transfer-market record

Winning the Primeira Liga did not just bring another trophy to FC Porto’s museum. It also secured direct qualification for the Champions League league phase and, with it, boosted the club’s coffers with millions available to invest in the new team for 2026/27.

Although the exact amount that will enter the accounts of the blue-and-white club’s SAD has not yet been defined, the figures are expected to be at least similar to this season’s, when each team that reached the league phase received around €18.62 million.

In this context, FC Porto now has a significant budget at its disposal to decide whether to keep investing heavily in the early transfer windows of the season or opt for more targeted moves to strengthen the squad and cover the departures.

It is worth remembering that the Dragons had the most expensive transfer window in their history last summer, spending a total of €111.35 million, including the €17 million paid to acquire the remaining share of Samu Aghehowa’s rights.

That investment paid off for the blue-and-white club, which may now adopt a calmer approach this summer, and could even once again bet on world stars on short-term contracts, as happened with Thiago Silva and Luuk de Jong, or on one-season loans, such as Seko Fofana, who had a very strong impact on FC Porto’s style of play, especially on Francesco Farioli’s ability to rotate the squad.

World Cup 2026 may not cause Villas-Boas too many ‘headaches’

With the absence of national teams such as Denmark or Poland, it is less likely that the 2026 World Cup will become a headache for FC Porto in terms of planning.

So far, only Diogo Costa is included in Portugal’s final squad, so if he has a great World Cup, it could trigger a real earthquake in the Dragons’ goalkeeping department.

Deniz Gul was also included in Turkey’s 35-man preliminary squad, so it is still unclear whether he will represent his country or stay at home watching the matches.

As a result, the Polish trio of Bednarek, Kiwior, and Pietuszweski, as well as Victor Froholdt, are less exposed to a possible departure this summer, since the World Cup usually serves as a shop window for surprise performers that Europe’s giants look to snap up.

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