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| Friday, 24 August 2012 09:00 |
Álvaro Pereira joins InternazionaleUruguayan ends long-running transfer saga F.C Porto last night confirmed the sale of wing-back Álvaro Pereira to Internazionale of Italy, finally bringing to an end one of the summer's most protracted departures. The deal will net the Dragons an initial €10,000,000 and could eventually be worth €15,000,000, depending on performance-related bonuses. Pereira's former club CFR Cluj will take a 20% cut.
Álvaro joined Porto from Cluj in 2009, following the sale of Cissokho to Lyon. The Uruguayan was slotted into the side almost immediately, and has been a key component in the club's success over the last two seasons, contributing in both defence and attack. In total, he made 119 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals.  The end for Pereira came in Porto's 1-0 win at Braga last April. After being substituted on the hour mark the Uruguayan could be seen making his displeasure at coach Vítor Pereira's decision felt, and although he played 90 minutes in the final match of the season against Rio Ave, he was almost entirely absent from this summer's pre-season preparations. A guaranteed windfall of €8,000,000, potentially rising to €12,000,000, represents a profit on the €4,500,000 Porto paid Cluj for Pereira three years ago - although perhaps not as sizeable a return as that which was reportedly on the table in January, when Chelsea were widely reported to have made an offer. Pereira reunites with his former teammate Fredy Guarín at Inter, with the Colombian having made his move permanent this summer. Alex Sandro and Mangala will now compete for the starting spot at left back. Sereno on the verge of Valladolid return In other Porto transfer news, Portuguese centre back Sereno is set for a return to La Liga side Valladolid. The 27 year-old spent 2009/10 at the Spanish club, and is expected to seal his loan switch today. With Otamendi, Maicon, Mangala, Rolando and Abdoulaye all ahead of him in the pecking order, the move appears to make sense for all concerned.Porto seek their first win of the season at home to Vitória de Guimarães tomorrow night. Ben Shave |
Porto is in a very delicate position this year, but I've said this before. When they lost Lucho, Alves, etc..., they were able to hold. Will they be able to continue that trend should the inevitable happen and Hulk and Moutinho leave as well.
I just don't comprehend the whole Iturbe situation. Maybe he just doesn't train well or his ego gets the best of him. But the fact remains that Porto need him to come through in a big way. Whether he does or not, he'll be s reaming to leave. The question will be whether Porto gets anything out of it.
As for the manager, I still think that he's way out if his depth.
But this poses the question, of course we all know that Alex Sandro will replace Pereira, but with David Addy no longer in Vitor Pereira's plans who will be HIS back-up? It could be Mangala, but Vitor Pereira said that he wants to play him in a central role sometimes, and even if Mangala does become the back-up, he offers very little attacking-wise compared to Alex Sandro. Which combined with James Rodriguez's frequent poor performances and his tendency to drift into the centre, means that Porto as a team will be usless on the left hand side, unless of course Vitor Pereira finally see's sense and plays Juan Manuel Iturbe.
Another potential back-up is Miguel Lopes, who is capable of playing on the left also, which could be viable as Danilo has decided to play right back for FC Porto, as opposed to his preferred centre midfielder role.
Perhaps the money received from the surprisingly low Alvaro Pereira sale could be invested into buying another generic South American teenager who FC Porto will mould into a class player