FC Porto consider turning to free agents to bolster their defence | OneFootball

The severity of Nehuén Pérez's injury, suffered during the match against Nacional, has raised alarms at Dragão. With the Argentine sidelined until the end of the season, FC Porto is left with only three natural central defenders in the squad – a scarce number given the various competitions the blue and whites are participating in. Therefore, the signing of a player without a club is being considered to strengthen the center of defense under Farioli's command, as the unrestricted market in January is still more than three months away.

The list of available free agents is not promising, as many of the highlighted names have a history of injuries or disciplinary issues. Nevertheless, the option is not ruled out by Porto's management, as the coach himself confirmed after the game against Nacional: “It is important to have an expanded squad, we are discussing with the president and the club if we can do something to help the club in the next period.” Farioli knows that the demanding schedule until the end of the year requires solutions to rotate the team and mitigate the risk of new injuries to overburdened players.

According to the website 'Transfermarkt', one of the most appealing names is Tomiyasu, a former teammate of Kiwior at Arsenal, but the Japanese player has been injured for several months and will only be fit in December, making him a less attractive option given FC Porto's urgency. Among the highest-rated free central defenders are Dawidowicz, formerly of Benfica B and Hellas Verona, and the Ghanaian Amartey, who has played for Leicester and Besiktas.

In the squad, besides Bednarek, Kiwior, and Prpic, there are players with some experience in the defensive axis, and promoting elements from the B team is also a possibility to consider if necessary. The analysis will be conducted jointly by the coach and the rest of the football structure led by André Villas-Boas, and a decision is expected soon.

Alternatives

Prpic rises in the hierarchy: the arrival of Jakub Kiwior at FC Porto pushed Dominik Prpic to the position of fourth central defender in the squad. However, with Nehuén Pérez's injury, the young Croatian has now assumed the status of immediate alternative to the starting duo of Bednarek and Kiwior. When Zé Pedro was still around – later sold to Cagliari – Prpic came on as a substitute in three matches; the Portuguese player appeared twice, but as a right-back, which at the time demonstrated that Prpic, at 21, was the main alternative to the Nehuén-Bednarek duo.

Versatility opens options for the axis: it was Francesco Farioli himself who pointed out midfielder Pablo Rosario as an option to play in the center of defense after Nehuén Pérez's injury against Nacional: “He came on as number 8 in the game against Sporting, now he played as a full-back. He played with me at Nice as a central defender. He is a very intelligent player with a great mentality, which helps us a lot.” The versatility of Tomás Pérez can also be considered if it's necessary to adapt another element for the defensive axis; in systems with three central defenders, Anselmi has even placed the midfielder in that position.

And the secondary formation: Gabriel Brás is the main alternative from the B team to fill a potential absence of a central defender in the main team, especially since he was the only player in that position registered by FC Porto in UEFA for the Europa League. Yesterday, the young Portuguese international was left out of the match sheet for FC Porto B against U. Leiria, and at the end, coach João Brandão revealed the player's promotion to the main team: “The purpose of the B team, now more than ever, is to serve the A team, whether through the units already there to train and play, as happened with Gabriel Brás, who couldn't play today to be available for the A team.” The coach added that Gabriel will already be training with the main team today. Felipe Silva, Luís Gomes, and António Ribeiro are the other B team central defenders with their eyes on the A team.

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