Hammer Felipe Anderson was missing from yesterday FC Porto squad for the 2-0 win over Gil Vincente.
While confusion, whether he had returned to London, has now been resolved he was nowhere to be seen on Saturday at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelo stadium.
Anderson has played just two games for Porto this year and just five in total with his last game came at the beginning of last month against Belenenses where he lasted just 57 minutes before being substituted.
During February he remained on the bench as an unused substitute in games against Braga, Boavista and Martimo.
For the last two games against Sporting CP and Gil Vincente, he hasn’t even made the matchday squad.
He is not thought to be injured but mystery surrounds his absence from the squad.
Anderson was signed from Lazio in 2018 by Manuel Pellegrini for a then club-record fee of £34m on a four-year contract that expires next June.
Are Porto deliberately not playing Anderson so as to keep his price down so they can buy him for next to nothing
Well it looks like Porto have found out what we all knew, Anderson is crap, keep him we don’t want him back.
I still cannot figure out why a player with so much talent can turn out this way. We will not be selling Anderson this summer as there will be no takers. The only way he will leave, will be to strike a deal with him to cut short his contract or loan him with us still paying a portion of his salary. People talking about getting a fee for him of 25m need to have a serious rethink, there will be no money for him. Players like Lanzini and Yarmo may capture some income but it is sad to see players like these leaving the club. We are known for having technical skilled players but unfortunately Moyes has no liking for these type of players. I am even getting worried for Benrahma.
They say that there is no smoke without fire and all the speculation regarding sending him back to us, was probably wishful thinking. £15-20M and we’d bite your hands right off right now.
Anderson never did seem to have the fire in his belly or the oomph required to be a footballer at the highest level for me and certainly not in British football, where even being a skilful player, requires energy and aggression.
As much as I feel sorry for him as he seems to be a wonderful human being, he probably ranks as pound for pound the worst bit of transfer business this club has done in YEARS.
How we receive a fee for him in the future….. is another story.
Missing?? Shergar??
He won’t go without a payout. If Porto don’t buy him, then use him as much as he deserves and see if he can work his way back into the squad.
EPL demands two-way players and he isn’t.