Tiago Santos could prove one of the more intriguing Portuguese abroad to follow this season, as the exciting young full-back makes his first steps outside Portugal with Lille.
The 21-year-old Lisbon native arrived in France during the summer in a €6.5m deal from Estoril, since when Santos has been gradually adapting to a new league and the high tactical demands of coach Paulo Fonseca.
Santos began the season as first choice in the right-back berth before losing his place, leading to five recent matches without making an appearance. However, an injury to Bafodé Diakité saw Santos thrown back into the line-up for Sunday’s trip to Lyon.
The Portuguese certainly took his chance, scoring the second in a 2-0 victory with a thunderous shot from the edge of the penalty area. Santos’ performance was so impressive he was named in the Team of the Week for Matchday 13 by renowned publication L’Equipe.
Tiago Santos is one to watch. A stunning goal and Man of the Match performance from the Portuguese right-back to help Paulo Fonseca’s Lille win 2-0 at Lyon pic.twitter.com/wz2UIfko8N
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) November 27, 2023
“I think we had a good match, that’s for sure,” Santos told the media. “There are things that we still need to improve, but the championship is starting to take shape and we are very happy to be able to take our three points, it was important in the standings. From a personal point of view, I hope I can continue to help the team like I was able to do today.
“The goal? I received the ball, I saw the goal and I hit it. It’s my first goal with Lille, but also the first goal of my professional career! I hope I will continue to help the team.”
Lille boss Paulo Fonseca spoke candidly about Santos’ development heading into the weekend. The former Porto manager emphasised the need for the Portugal U21 international to become a more rounded player over coming months.
“I know that Tiago has a lot of qualities,” Fonseca began. “I also know that he is a player of the future, but we cannot forget that he only spent one season in the Portuguese first division. He needs to be more mentally balanced.
“He is a very offensive player who still needs to know the characteristics of our defensive game. He wants to attack all the time, but he must better control the times to attack and those to defend. In any case, he has progressed but he must adapt to our game even more.”
By @SeanGillen9
