Porto plump for Peseiro

Former Sporting and Braga coach signs 18-month contract

FC Porto have appointed José Peseiro as their new coach.

The 55-year-old succeeds Spaniard Julen Lopetegui in the hot seat at the Estádio do Dragão having put pen to paper on a contract until the summer of 2017, with an option for a further season. 

Peseiro has a long list of clubs on his coaching CV, including Real Madrid as Carlos Queiroz's assistant, and other stints abroad in Saudi Arabia, Greece, Romania, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. 

He is best remembered however for his 2004/05 campaign at Sporting, when he led the Lisbon club to the verge of a Primeira Liga and Europa League double, only to lose out on both trophies in a disastrous final week of the season. 

That near miss, along with several others in the subsequent years, led Peseiro to acquire a "nearly man" reputation in Portugal. However, he put that to bed to some extent when coaching Braga to a Taça da Liga triumph in 2013, beating none other than FC Porto in the final. 

Nevertheless, the appointment is something of a surprise after a host of names - most of them higher profile - were linked to Porto in the last two weeks

Peseiro will look to hit the ground running when he sits on the bench for the home match against Marítimo on Sunday. Despite recent poor results, Porto are just five points behind leaders Sporting in the table. The Dragons are also in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup and face Borussia Dortmund when the Europa League resumes in February, so Peseiro certainly has a big chance to enhance his reputation. 

by Tom Kundert