Seventeen new players mean that Olhanense have made more signings than any other Primeira Liga team this summer.
With 11 nationalities in the squad, multilingual manager Xavier – he speaks six languages – will be much in demand!
Two more of last season’s players have also put pen-to-paper. Jander, who was a revelation when he moved from midfield to full-back, has returned from Brazil and signed for two years, while Luís Filipe has convinced manager Xavier to renew his contract.
Promising new young Brazilian striker Diego Gonçalves netted both goals in the 2-0 victory against Quarteirense. A towering header and 35 metres screamer were the highlights of an entertaining friendly at Quarteira.
A sterling performance by veteran international keeper Ricardo was the highlight of a goalless draw at V.Setúbal.
Midfielder Mirko Bigazzi was injured after only ten minutes and was replaced by Tibor Cica. As the paper went to print, Olhanense were competing in the prestigious Columbino Tournament in Huelva (Spain).
The ‘rubro-negros’ became only the fifth Portuguese team to be invited to participate in the competition’s 49-year history. First opponents Levante are still under investigation by the Spanish FA following accusations of match fixing in their relegation battle with Deportivo La Coruna last April. Chris Wright
