Villas-Boas on André Silva and Caleb Yirenkyi, no Lewa: “Pipe dream” | OneFootball

Does this schedule give you any room to reflect on the market? “No, not at all. We are, naturally, already preparing for next season. Everything has been going according to the plan we set out. Although we, the Board, are already in the 26/27 season, the 25/26 season only formally ends on June 30. So there is still a lot of work ahead. The truth is that the team is being built; we obviously want to go for the title next year in the same way. We have a good foundation, a solid base from what we had to build on at the end of the 24/25 season.”

André Silva has arrived. Was this an idea that had been there since last year, or did it only come up this year? “It was also a meeting of minds with the coaching staff, with the player, with the strengthening of the squad, with the departures that took place… therefore, the non-continuation of several players: some through misfortune, in Luuk’s case; others by choice, in Moffi’s case. So, it is both a reinforcement and a homecoming for a player who knows FC Porto better than anyone, who knows what the demands of its supporters mean, and who very much wanted to come back home. So, it was something we could not ignore, and he returns with all this excitement. We are confident that he will give a great deal to this club, and we very much want that option to become a reality and for André to stay at FC Porto.”

You have already spoken about this and ruled out the possibility of Lewandowski heading to Porto. But some subliminal messages have been appearing on the club’s social media… is that possibility really out of the question? “Yes, I think that… I think social media sometimes fuels unrealistic dreams, and it is very normal for these dynamics to arise, especially when two FC Porto players, jokingly, got a quiz right that we ourselves had put out. So, it has absolutely nothing to do with that.”

So it was not a hint? “If only it were… As you know, FC Porto works within a market context, looking for the best solutions to strengthen its squad, in full agreement with the coaching staff and, at the appropriate time, we will announce whoever we have to announce.”

And Caleb? Is there any news regarding Caleb Yirenkyi? “No, just a player identified by FC Porto, very difficult to sign because of the clubs’ financial demands. It is a bad time to work the markets because, normally, the demands are very high. So the market is only just beginning, it will heat up more in July and August, and it will fully heat up in the final weeks of August and early September. So this is still a very embryonic stage. I would also remind you that, at the end of the 24/25 season, FC Porto moved in the market much later, but very strongly. At this stage, these are always preliminary contacts. He is a player who has been on FC Porto’s radar since last year and who has generated a lot of interest, particularly from Premier League clubs, but we have made neither any offer nor any move for him.”

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