Portuguese players in the EPL season preview
Six Portuguese striving to make a splash in England’s top flight
 Like the Liga ZON Sagres, the English Premier League kicks off this weekend. What are the prospects for Portuguese players in the EPL this season? Sean McCarron tells us.
Luís Nani
Manchester United’s Luis Nani had a terrific European Championship with the Portuguese national side and his United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will hope he can replicate this form throughout the upcoming season.
Since the departure of Portuguese national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in 2009, Nani has definitely stepped up his game and has helped fill the void left by the Real Madrid star. Last season United lost out on the title to local rivals Manchester City on goal difference, so this season Nani and his United teammates have their sights firmly fixed on getting their Title back.
Even though Nani is a fan favourite at Old Trafford and has said many a time he is happy to be there, rumours about a possible departure to Juventus or Real Madrid have been rife throughout the summer, after contract talks between United and Nani apparently broke down. Nani himself has reiterated his heart is very much at Old Trafford, telling the Times of India: “I am very happy at Man United and have been here five years and won every title. The manager has great faith in me and that’s what is important. My agent is negotiating and we’ll see what happens.”
Nani has had to compete with fellows wingers Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, and has duly stepped up. On his day the former Sporting player is one of the best wide players in the world. A key player for the Red Devils.
Chelsea’s triple threat
The other three Portuguese players hoping for more Championship success this season are Chelsea goalkeeper Henrique Hilário, defender Paulo Ferreira and midfielder Raul Meireles.
Last season Chelsea won the Champions League after a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Bayern Munich and the FA Cup after defeating Liverpool 2-1. Although they achieved great success in cup competitions, the Blues had a very below par league season, finishing sixth and a staggering 25 points behind eventual winners Manchester City.
Meireles played a big part in Chelsea’s cup winning campaigns last season and he will hope that he and his teammates can bring their cup form into the EPL this season and mount a challenge for the title. It will be interesting to see if Meireles features as often this season, as Chelsea have brought in Eden Hazard and Marko Marin who can both play in the central midfield role also.
Veteran defender Ferreira has seen his chances limited under new Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo but after fellow Portuguese defender Jose Bosingwa was released, Ferreira will hope to have more opportunities this season. On a side note, Bosingwa, who played in the Champions League final, is still without a club. The defender may end up joining another EPL side before the summer transfer window is closed.
Chelsea have invested heavily this summer in bringing in Hazard, Marin and Oscar, showing the clear intent from owner Roman Abramovich that he wants to retain the Champions League and try and make it a double with the EPL title also. How much the Portuguese trio are able to contribute to the effort remains to be seen.
The new boys
Two new Portuguese players who will be joining the EPL this season: José Fonte and Ricardo Vaz Tê.
Former Portugal U21 player Fonte is a defender for EPL newcomers Southampton. He has been a mainstay in the South-Coast club’s back to back promotions, was voted the club’s player of the season in 2010/11, and signed a new contract until 2015 last December. Southampton are strong favourites to be relegated this upcoming league campaign, but if Fonte and his teammates can replicate the form that saw them win The Championship last year, they will have a good chance of survival this season.
 Vaz Tê seems to have been a name synonymous with English football for nearly ten years and although many say he has never reached the potential he showed early in his career at Bolton Wanderers, the striker had a stand-out season last year.
Vaz Tê joined West Ham United from Barnsley in January 2012 after an impressive start to the 2011/2012 Championship campaign, and duly helped fire West Ham into the EPL this season, scoring the winning goal in the Championship play-off final against Blackpool in May. He ended the campaign with an impressive haul of 24 goals, and if the Lisbon-born striker can continue to score on a regular basis in the EPL he will surely come into the reckoning for a call-up to the Portuguese national side.
Likewise, should José Fonte, now 28, shine at St. Mary’s Stadium, he may yet push his way into Paulo Bento’s plans. Nevertheless, for both Fonte and Vaz Tê, the chief aim this season will be to help their respective teams avoid relegation.
So, with a smattering of Portuguese players gracing the EPL this season, who will exceed expectations and who will make the biggest impact? Keep track of Portuguese in the English Premier League at PortuGOAL.net.
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Also, I know its the one league down but FORCA NUNO GOMES @ Blackburn!!
There was an actually a study done in comparing leagues and La Liga was the runaway winner. Barca and Real lead the way. Yes the Top 4 EPL came next along with Bayern, Juve, etc... But when you started looking at mid table an EPL club might lead it, but the La Liga clubs dominated. The same thing occurred when they took a look at bottom table clubs grouping.
I'll see if I could find the link. It was actually a very interesting read.
As for the EPL's style of play, you're always going to have the squads that defend and punt it forward but that's due to the quality of play. There's a lot more of a push for the jogo bonito. Although AVB is gone, the youth movement and style of play is moving forward at Chelsea. City, Man United, Liverpool, Spurs and even minnows Norwich, Swansea, and others are showing attacking fluid sides.
Francisco Junior will also feature for Everton.
I'm really concerned about Nani at Man United. I could really see him falling on the depth chart and sit the bench. RvP coming in will allow SAF to go with Valencia and/or Young since they are more apt to pass. The player from Dortmund will also be starting.
Italy would not be good for him, and frankly he would sit at Real in Spain.
This could be a very telling campaign for Nani and his career.
Fereira is done and Meireles could also going to fin it difficult. He should play with Lamps and Essien being a shell of themselves, but club brought in new faces that will play due to cost.
I'm happy for Boswinga since staying in the EPL seemed the priority. I'm not of fan of QPR or Hughes, so we'll see.
In addition to Nelson O, Deportivo have
Pizzi,
Bruno Gama (I was gutted when he got hurt here in Canada during a U-20 World Cup iin 2007 - I had high hopes for him and Coentrao after watching them feature for Portugal)
Diogo Salomao
and Ze Castro
Some of these guys were seen as high potential guys a couple of years back...
Let's hope Deportivo has a good season and that these guys can somehow contribute!
I've been trumpeting Vaz Te's potential for the national team for a while now - the Championship may not be highly regarded, but I think it is a quality league. It might surprise people here - but I remember reading that the Championship is the sixth highest paying league in Europe.
I am really pulling for Vaz Te - I know he had a very serious injury a couple of years back, but he absolutely blew me away in a game I saw him play for Bolton when he was a 19 year old kid. This guy has some game - I think he is going to surprise some people and push his way on to the Seleccao.
Question for Sean, Tom K, Ben et al
Is it unrealistic to think that Vaz Te could hit double digits in the Premiership this year? I don't expect him to hit for 24 - but I think 12+ is realistic.
Am I delusional Seleccao fan hoping for a ray of light from this guy?
I’m curious to know if you guys will put together a La Liga review given the large amount of Portuguese players that play in Spain. Outside of Ronaldo and co. there are still a bunch of youngsters within the ranks of several La Liga sides.