Sporting stalwart confirms interest in Ioannidis: It's been a long time | OneFootball

With the market in motion, Rui Borges confirmed Sporting’s interest in Fotis Ioannidis. The coach of the Alvalade club was heavily ‘grilled’ about the rumors this transfer window and ended up talking about several names that have been linked to the green and whites.

“I haven’t spoken about players in the market. Later, at the end, we can talk about whatever you want. There are three players identified. Ioannidis has been identified here at Sporting for a long time. Yeremay has enormous potential. Jota is someone I’ve worked with. It’s normal for these names to come up. The best time to talk about it is at the end of the market, when it closes,” he began by saying.

When asked if Ioannidis is being considered to replace Conrad Harder, Rui Borges reminded that the Lions have to be “prepared”: “We’re talking about Sporting, a big club. It has very capable departments and is always ready. The whole structure... We are prepared for any departure, not just the players being talked about. We are a big team. We had a great season and it’s natural that people look for Sporting players. We always have to be ready for Sporting’s demands. Last week I said there were clauses. If they are triggered and the player wants to go, we can’t do anything. But we always have to be prepared for the demands of the market, to anticipate things.”

With two consecutive wins in their last two matches, Rui Borges’ Lions have six points and occupy first place in the standings. The island team, with the same number of games played, has only one point, after a draw and a defeat.

Sporting will return to the field next Saturday, August 23, against Nacional, in a match valid for the third round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. The duel between the Lions and the islanders will take place at 18:00, at Choupana, in Madeira.

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