Rui Borges seeks Diomande, Debast alternatives, offers Sporting chance | OneFootball

Faced with the long list of injuries that have complicated Sporting’s season, with Pedro Gonçalves, Zeno Debast, Quenda, and Nuno Santos only expected to return in 2026, Rui Borges faces a particular concern: the central defense.

With Ousmane Diomande heading to the Africa Cup of Nations, the coach is left with only three options for the center-back position: Gonçalo Inácio, Eduardo Quaresma, and Matheus Reis. Although the first two are clear starters, there are still spots to fill, and alternatives are scarce.

With the transfer window still closed, the strategy is to rely on what’s available internally. And, according to the newspaper A Bola, there are two young players at the forefront to join the first team more regularly. They are Bruno Ramos, a 20-year-old center-back who is already well regarded within Sporting’s structure—he even made his debut for the first team last season against Portimonense in the Portuguese Cup—and Rômulo Júnior, a 21-year-old center-back from Atlético Mineiro.

Both have been developing in Liga 2 with the B team and are currently at a decisive stage: they are on loan at Sporting, with a purchase option. In Bruno Ramos’ case, his contract is with Académico de Viseu; as for Rômulo Júnior, he belongs to Atlético Mineiro. How they respond to this potential step up in competition could be decisive for whether Sporting triggers the clauses to secure their continued presence at Alvalade.

Other names are also on the table, such as João Muniz—currently injured—and Lucas Taibo. However, for now, it is the Brazilian duo who appear as the main alternatives to strengthen the team at the end of the year and at the start of 2026. Even so, they are behind the more experienced trio, with Gonçalo Inácio establishing himself as the central figure in defense, followed by Eduardo Quaresma and Matheus Reis. Interestingly, both Quaresma and Reis started the season as second choices, but are now gaining prominence due to the limitations in a sector that had already suffered a major loss at the start of the season: Jeremiah St. Juste, who ended up being relegated to the B team.

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