Paulo Robles warns Sporting over Palhinha: unhealthy interest | OneFootball

With Sporting having a very active role in this transfer window, Paulo Robles, coach of AR Porto Alto, appeared on A BOLA TV, where he commented on the signings made by the green and whites for the midfield position – where there are already five confirmed reinforcements.

As for the biggest deadlock in Sporting’s market, João Palhinha, Paulo Robles believes there are “interests that are not very beneficial to Sporting’s own interests”: “There is talk of Tottenham, who want to retain his services, and a few days ago it emerged that Bayern Munich are interested in keeping him as well, but he is certainly a very desirable player, for example, in the English market, and that creates interest.”

Regarding Altimira’s arrival, Paulo Robles believes it will not affect the deal involving the Portuguese midfielder: “Altimira’s signing seems to rule out Palhinha, but I don’t believe it is that straightforward. The question that can be asked is: So what do you do with so many players signed for that sector and with two or three who are still there?”

“One thing is certain, it reduces the space for academy players. That’s point number one. From the point of view of the players signed, the team’s stature increases, which gives it some robustness, not only in open play, but also at set pieces, which, if we remember correctly, were disastrous at times because Sporting conceded many goals in these situations,” he said, suggesting that the approach to the game could change.

Although Paulo Robles considers it difficult, Palhinha’s signing would be well received: “I think that in that case Sporting will not pass up the opportunity not only to have a player who is familiar with the club, who knows the place inside out and who can be very important to the team’s playing dynamics,” adding that Rui Borges’ style of play could undergo changes: “He has midfielders to try to do something different within what is usually his preferred system.”

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