Braga, then Porto, then Braga again - the full story of Moutinho's transfer saga
Winding back to the early knockings of the summer transfer window, it looked for all the world that Joao Moutinho was to make a surprise and exciting move to the high-flying and increasingly ambitious SC Braga.
A free agent after his contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers came to an end, the experienced 36-year old was looking for his latest adventure., and though murmurings of a potential move to Saudi Arabi did predictably appear, Braga seemed confident of getting a deal done, which would have continued an impressive summer transfer window for the Minho outfit, who had already brought in the likes of Jose Fonte, Rony Lopes, Bruma, Rodrigo Salazar and Victor Gomez.
However, as time went on without the move materialising, doubts about the prospect of the deal being completing began to emanate, and that’s when FC Porto entered the conversation.
After the prospective sale of Otavio to Saudi side Al-Nassr became known, there was an opening for another midfielder to arrive at Porto, and after a conversation between Porto president Pinto da Costa and Moutinho, it seemed that Moutinho’s sights were set solely on a return to the Portuguese giants.
The move was so advanced that he even completed medical examinations at Porto, and it appeared that everything was settled and Braga were going to lose out on one of Portugal’s greatest ever footballers.
However, there was yet another twist in the tale as it became clear that personal terms were still not agreed between the two parties, while Porto manager Sergio Conceicao also expressed doubts, not about Moutinho’s quality, but the necessity of bringing in another central midfielder when there were other more pressing areas of the squad that required strengthening. Some reports even suggested Conceicao was considering resigning from his post after the sale of Otavio and the potential arrival of Moutinho.
The door therefore reopened for Braga, and a deal was quickly made official as the midfield maestro was handed the number 28 shirt.
On joining Braga, Moutinho seemingly took a swing at Porto, saying: “They made me feel wanted [at Braga], and that’s what a player wants; to feel important, to feel wanted, and I can believe what the people who are here say”.
Moutinho will undoubtedly see more game time at Braga than he would have done at Porto, while he will also relish the opportunity to play for the club in the UEFA Champions League should Braga manage to finish the job in their second leg qualifier against Panathinaikos. It would represent the first time in a decade that the Arsenalistas have appeared in Europe’s primary club competition.
