Paulo Bento assesses FC Porto target: “Never good to compare, but…” | OneFootball

FC Porto’s market activity has not yet entered the acceleration phase that André Villas-Boas, the Dragons’ president, recently said would come at a more advanced stage of the summer. Even so, the SAD already has defined targets and continues to assess its next steps, especially regarding Hwang In-beom, one of the names identified as a possible reinforcement for midfield. Known to Francesco Farioli — the two crossed paths in the Eredivisie in 2024/25 — the 29-year-old midfielder, who plays for Feyenoord, appears as an interesting profile and, above all, one distinct from what the Porto coach currently has available in that area.

That is why A BOLA spoke to the person who knows the South Korean international best and reached out to Paulo Bento, one of those responsible for the player’s development. When he answered the call, the former national team coach sounded pleased: “It’s a pleasure to talk about In-beom.” It was the Portuguese coach who gave Hwang, then 21, his debut for South Korea’s senior national team in 2018. “What I took from the four years I worked with In-beom, and also with the other players, is an enormous work capacity, as well as great respect for hierarchy and for one another. It’s something characteristic,” Paulo Bento told our newspaper.

“Then he is a player with an incredible work rate, someone who understands the game very well, also from a defensive point of view. Although he does not stand out physically, he is aggressive in duels, a player who is not afraid,” highlighted the 57-year-old coach, drawing a comparison with a former FC Porto player… albeit cautiously: “It’s never good to compare, but he is somewhat similar to what João Moutinho was like. As the Spaniards say, comparisons are always hateful, but that’s the direction I would go in.”

On a tactical level, Paulo Bento does not hesitate: Hwang In-beom can become an important asset for Farioli. “He is very advanced. I’ll give an example: in a 4x2x3x1, he can play as a number 10 or in the double pivot. If you want to play with different characteristics in the number 6 position of a 4x3x3, he can do it with quality and ease, thanks to his tactical understanding and technical execution,” explained the coach, who also sees the midfielder as comfortable “in any position of a diamond.”

Without wanting to get ahead of the market, Paulo Bento believes his former player is ready to make the step up. “I would calmly and confidently say that In-beom is a player who would fit into any of the Portuguese football big three. And I’ve been saying that for some time. He has already been at Olympiakos, at Feyenoord… With all due respect, this possibility [FC Porto] is a level above and one he would be ready for. I have not the slightest doubt,” assessed the former national team coach, convinced that, if the process moves forward, Hwang’s adaptation to a new context will not be a problem. “He speaks English easily. He has been in Europe for more than five years and has already been in Russia, Greece, Serbia and the Netherlands, where he worked with several coaches of various nationalities. It does not seem to me to be any problem at all,” Paulo Bento concluded.

“Prince or son, in a way…”

Throughout the four years he coached the South Korea national team, Paulo Bento developed a “strong bond” with many of the players he trained. Hwang In-beom was no exception and even came to be nicknamed Bento’s Prince. “It was something that also came from the group itself, because the others also see it and joke about it… His teammates, probably joking, would say that In-beom was the Prince or, in a way, a little bit like my son. All those situations helped create that good relationship and gave rise to the label, but in a good way,” explained Paulo Bento.

Paulo Bento remained closely connected to the players he coached in South Korea – Photo: Instagram/Hwang In-beom

“In-beom was one of the players who immediately caught my attention, and the bond kept developing. These are feelings that grow as part of a long process. That connection still exists, and even today I keep in touch not only with him, but with many other players as well. It is a bond that will last a lifetime,” stressed the Portuguese coach, to A BOLA

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