Nehuén Pérez recovers, enters 2026/27 ready to fight at FC Porto | OneFootball

Before goalkeeper João Afonso and striker André Silva, Francesco Farioli had already secured, without needing to go into the market, a reinforcement for next season. And this was no ordinary player, but a name with major weight in the group. After a season virtually lost because of a complete Achilles tendon rupture, Nehuén Pérez is preparing for 2026/27 in full physical condition and ready to fight for a place in the starting eleven, although he faces a very difficult barrier to overcome.

Given the excellent season produced by the Bednarek/Kiwior duo and the strong likelihood that the two Poles will begin the new season ahead in the battle for a starting spot, the 25-year-old centre-back will have to work to the limit and maintain a high level of patience to earn his place in the team.

This is a rather unusual scenario in the career of the Argentine international, since in the last four seasons he had always started as a first-choice player. In three of them with Udinese and, in the previous one, wearing the FC Porto shirt, although in 2024/25 he moved directly from the Italian club’s starting eleven to the Dragons’ with the league campaign already under way.

Serious injury halted his progress

If Nehuén Pérez’s debut season at the Dragão did not go particularly well, also affected by the negative circumstances that hit the team, the signs were positive in the following campaign until the injury struck. The Argentine looked more confident, largely thanks to the mental work of Francesco Farioli and his good on-pitch connection with Bednarek. The centre-back scored in the win against Casa Pia and later ended up scoring an accidental own goal in Sporting’s favour, with no impact on the result.

On 13 September last year, after already losing his place to Kiwior, Nehuén Pérez came off the bench in the match against Nacional to take up the right side of the defence and was on the pitch for only five minutes. A complete Achilles tendon rupture forced the defender to leave the field and remain out of the team for a long eight months.

His return to competition came on 16 May, in the title celebration match. The Argentine stepped onto the pitch emotional, to a huge ovation from the fans present at the Dragão. It was a fair recognition from the public and also of the work carried out by Farioli during the recovery period. Nehuén Pérez did not give up and is ready for the fight. An important reinforcement for the challenges ahead.

Third-biggest investment

Nehuén Pérez was FC Porto’s third-biggest investment in signing a defender. Initially, the SAD led by André Villas-Boas paid €4.1 million for the Argentine’s loan and later, when making the deal permanent, spent another €13.3 million. In total, the centre-back cost the club’s SAD €17.4 million.

Only David Carmo, under the club’s previous administration, who cost €20 million, and Jakub Kiwior, whose overall investment has already reached €19 million, rank above Nehuén Pérez.

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