News from Portugal

Boy, Sporting C.P. needs help real badly.  They should probably focus on trying to bring Guus Hiddink in next year.  This team needs a revamping more than Pedro Mendes and Sinama-Pongolle can help them out with.  After losing to Sp. Braga 1-0 Friday, Sporting took a 5-2 shellacking from under form Porto to get knocked out of the Portuguese Cup.  Highlights below..



Meanwhile, looks like the Manuel Fernandes deal did not go through.  Apparently, the two clubs were unable to settle the loan deal before the transfer window closed. [link]

Porto sign 19 year-old Ghanian David Addy from Randers FC (Denmark) for €800,000 [link]

Benfica host Uniao Leiria today at 4:00PM ET in an effort to slip away from Sp. Braga. [ATDHE]

Fernandes Inks Up with Inter

Jose Mourinho has taken in Valencia's Manuel Fernandes for an undisclosed fee.  Fernandes said he had spoken to Quaresma about the club, and is happy to be joining the Nerrazurri.  Manuel  also said, "I also spoke to Mourinho on Friday. It's a dream to be coached by him."

An interesting signing this is...Surely the Portuguese international will not get the playing time he was supposedly seeking on his way out of Valencia.  It will be hard to make the World Cup squad with the likes of Zanetti, Sneijder, and even Cambiasso standing in the way of a starting spot in that midfield.  Perhaps Valencia was seeing him off due to the "situations" he and fellow countryman Miguel had been getting themselves into over the years there.  Fernandes scored 2 goals for "Los Che" during his time in Spain.  This season he appeared in only 6 games for Valencia, starting once.


For more on this story click here 

Big day for Inter

Manuel Fernandes is joining Inter Milan. There were many reports that he was heading to Sporting CP, however he decided to join fellow Portuguese Ricardo Quaresma and coach Jose Mourinho at the Serie A giants. I'm not sure of this move, however. If his goal was to get playing time, how will he get some there. I mean, there's more competition at Inter than Valencia. Doesn't make sense to me.

Also, Inter beat Juventus in the quarters of the Coppa Italia today 2-1. Lucio and Balotelli scored in the come from behind win. Diego scored Juventus' only goal. Goals and highlights here.

Manuel Fernandes back to Portugal?

Not only are Sporting CP going after Quaresma, reports out of Portugal (A Bola) are showing that they are inquiring about Manuel Fernandes of Valencia, formerly of Benfica fame. Manny is a beast. One game last year he played almost an hour with a broken leg. Guys like that don't come around very often. He has had limited options this season with Los Che and wants to get more first team action ahead of this summer's World Cup.

It's weird to see Sporting, a team known throughout Europe as a "grocery store" are keen on buying. After purchasing Joao Perriera from Braga and Sinama Pongolle from Atletico Madrid, Sporting seem to be changing their ways. However with Benfica looking as strong offensively as any team in Europe, and SC Braga holding on to the top spot in the Liga, is it too little to late for the 09-10 season?