DIOGO JOTA TRANSFER PLAN WAS IN THE WORKS BEFORE TRAGIC DEATH

Porto president Andre Villas-Boas revealed a plan was in place to sign Diogo Jota, who would have turned 29 this Thursday

Diogo Jota could have made a sensational return to his homeland before his tragic death(Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Diogo Jota was in talks with Porto about a potential return before the Liverpool star's fatal car accident. The Portuguese forward, who would have celebrated his 29th birthday today, was travelling with his brother Andre Silva in Zamora, Spain, when Jota lost control of his Lamborghini and crashed, killing both of them.

The incident sent shockwaves through the footballing world and happened just 11 days after Jota married long-term partner Rute Cardoso. During his time at Anfield, Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances, helping Liverpool win the FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League. He remained an integral member of the team but was offered a move back to Portugal.

Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, who is now the president of Porto, revealed that a plan was in place for Jota to return to the club where it all began, prior to his tragic death.

Speaking at the funeral of the two young men, Villas-Boas said: "Unfortunately, we were working with agent Jorge Mendes on Diogo Jota's return to FC Porto, and it won't be possible.

"It would be from 2026-27, and we had discussed the possibility. I made a point of conveying that message to Diogo, through Jorge Mendes, at his wedding, and it was a dream for all the Porto fans that it would happen."

Paying tribute, he added: "Diogo has a history in the senior ranks, and Andre has many years from the children's ranks to the under-19s. They were much loved. We've come to pay our respects to the family. Diogo, especially as the greatest public figure, was a silent hero. We all appreciated him for everything he stood for, not only on the pitch but also off it."

Andre Villas-Boas arriving at Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's funeral(Image: Photo by FILIPE AMORIM/AFP via Getty Images)

He continued: "He was a partner of FC Porto with its Esports team. Someone who will be remembered fondly, just like his brother. Diogo wasn't a member [of the club], but he became one today. I hope that all FC Porto members understand this move.

"In Andre Silva's case, we symbolically recovered his membership fees and gave them to his family. We intended to leave the two membership cards here. I did it as chairman of the board.

"Condolences to everyone, to the team-mates from Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Gondomar and P. Ferrreira. And Penafiel, who also lost a great mate. It's tragic and deserves a moment of reflection."

- Dylan James

JOSÉ MOURINHO'S MANAGERIAL JOURNEY

 

BREAKING: PORTO CAPTAIN JORGE COSTA IS DEAD

 

INTER MIAMI VS. PORTO HIGHLIGHTS | FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP

KINGS OF EUROPE | ALK-TIME CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TABLE | SINCE 1992/93 SEASON

 

CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 GROUP STAGES

 

MANCHESTER UNITED 3-3 PORTO | POST MATCH ANALYSIS

 

PORTO VS. MAN UNITED| WHAT A CRAZY 😧 MATCH

 

ERIK TEN HAG: MAN UTD NEED TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST PORTO

 

Erik ten Hag has come under pressure following Manchester United's dismal start to the season. Getty

PORTO, Portugal -- Erik ten Hag has insisted he retains the faith of Manchester United's leadership, but admitted his players must show a reaction to the defeat to Tottenham when they play FC Porto.

Ten Hag has come under severe pressure following the chastening 3-0 defeat to Spurs on Sunday.

The Dutchman has revealed he's held conversations with the club's leadership team since the result, which left United 13th in the Premier League table.

He will lead his team in their Europa League tie against Porto at Estadio do Dragao on Thursday and admitted his players must bounce back quickly to brighten the mood around the club.

"We talk every day," Ten Hag told a news conference on Wednesday. "It's a long-term project. It's a long-term union. We will keep going in that process. We will talk every day. Every day we will evaluate, review the process and where it's necessary, we will make our decisions.

"As always when we are not winning, we are very disappointed and we are also mad, mad with ourselves and especially when you lose a game like Sunday.

"We are mad and from the madness we have to get motivation and go onto the next game."

CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth both publicly backed Ten Hag before the defeat to Liverpool in early September.

Sources have told ESPN that despite the run of poor form, the club intend to stick with the 54-year-old until at least after Sunday's trip to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Ten Hag was asked whether United's leadership had privately offered a vote of confidence since the defeat to Tottenham, but the former Ajax coach told reporters it was not needed.

"It's not necessary to give me confidence," he said.

"We talk every day about how we can improve this club and this team. How we can co-operate, how can we improve the processes; that is what we are talking about."

While Porto warmed up for United with a 4-0 win over Arouca Sunday, Ten Hag's team are on a three-match winless run. But Porto coach Vitor Bruno is adamant it's not a good time to play their Premier League visitors.

"I know what you mean, talking about the last match," Bruno said. "But no, not at all. Exactly the opposite. We always see them as a threat. I've heard a lot of people saying that he was coming with a rope around his neck but it would be a huge mistake [to underestimate them]. We are talking about world-class players."

Kobbie Mainoo is set to be available to face Porto despite limping off during the first half against Spurs. The England midfielder trained at Carrington on Wednesday morning, but Mason Mount was absent after suffering a head injury against Tottenham.

United's trip to Portugal on Wednesday afternoon was delayed because of fog in Porto leading to Ten Hag's news conference being delayed for more than two hours.

- Rob Dawson, Correspondent

ARSENAL VS. PORTO | ALL GOALS & HIGHLIGHTS

ARSENAL INTO THE UCL QUARTERFINALS FOR THE 1ST TIME SINCE 2010

 

Arsenal survived a penalty shootout to scrape past Porto and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in 14 years after a tense round-of-16 duel had ended 1-1 on aggregate on Tuesday.

Porto, who won the opening leg 1-0, proved stubborn opposition for the Premier League leaders, and Arsenal fans must have feared another night of European heartache.

But Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice all tucked away their spot kicks with clinical precision.

Porto's Wendell saw his effort somehow stay out after hitting the post, and Arsenal keeper David Raya then became the hero as he stopped Galeno's penalty to send Arsenal through 4-2 in the shootout and spark wild celebrations.

Leandro Trossard's well-taken effort shortly before half-time had levelled the tie, but Arsenal struggled to break down a disciplined Porto side who also carved out some decent chances.

Extra time failed to separate the sides, but Mikel Arteta's Arsenal held their nerve to snap a run of seven successive exits at the round-of-16 stage.

The last time Arsenal reached the quarterfinals in 2010 they also beat Porto in the last 16, and they will go into Friday's draw full of confidence that they can go further.

"For them to do it when the club hasn't done it for 14 years, that tells you the difficulty," Arteta, whose side have won eight successive Premier League games to edge ahead of Manchester City and Liverpool, told reporters.

"They are willing to sacrifice anything to win."

BARCELONA LOOKS TO REGAIN BEST FORM AND SECUR3 RETURN TO KNOCKOUT STAGE OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

AP Photo

MADRID (AP) — A win against Porto will be enough to put Barcelona back in the knockout rounds of the Champions League after two consecutive group-stage eliminations.

It may not be enough, though, to ease the pressure on coach Xavi Hernández, who has struggled to get his team to play well recently.

Barcelona is coming off a stretch that includes a 1-0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in its last Champions League game, and a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano in its previous Spanish league match. The team has even produced lackluster performances when winning recent matches.

TOP 10 UNBEATEN TEAMS IN THE WORLD

1. 58 - 🇵🇹 Porto - 2020/22

1. 58 - 🇮🇹 AC Milan - 1991/93

2. 56 - 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Celtics - 2016/17

3. 53 - 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich - 2012/14

4. 49 - 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal - 2003/04

4. 49 - 🇮🇹 Juventus - 2011/12

5. 44 - 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool - 2019/20

6. 43 - 🇪🇸 FC Barcelona - 2017/18

7. 42 - 🇪🇸 Real Madrid - 2016/17

8. 40 - 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chelsea - 2004/05

9. 39 - 🇹🇿 Young Africans - 2021/22

CHELSEA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL DRONE SHOW | CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE

JUVENTUS 3-2 PORTO AET (4-4) POST MATCH ANALYSIS