Football Season Guide

GD Chaves

In


Emanuel Novo (gk)(Famalicão), Pedro Queirós (def)(Astra Giurgiu), Rafael Lopes (att)(Académica), Simon Vukcevic (mid)(ENP), Luís Alberto (mid)(Tondela), Leandro Freire (def)(Apollon Limassol), Ricardo Nunes (gk)(Porto, on loan), Felipe Lopes (def)(Wolfsburg), Francisco Ramos (mid)(Porto, on loan), Nemanja Petrovic (def)(Maccabi Netanya), Fábio Martins (att)(Braga), Paulinho (def)(União da Madeira), Hamdou Elhouni (att)(Benfica, on loan), Rodrigo Battaglia (mid)(Braga, on loan), Willian (att)(Kayserispor), Felix Mathaus (def)(Ac. Viseu)

Out


Edu Machado (def)(Boavista), Siaka Bamba (mid)(Cova da Piedade), Miguel Ângelo (def)(Cova da Piedade), Diogo Cunha (mid)(Famalicão), Luis Barry (att)(Desp. Aves), João Reis (att)(Santa Clara), Luís Silva (mid)(Belenenses)

Chaves is finally back to top tier after many years in the secondary leagues. The Flavienses were an important team in the 1980’s, getting consistent top half positions. But ever since they were relegated in the 1998-99 season, they got sunk into the lower spots of Second Division and even had spells in lower leagues as well. They got back in second-tier in 2012-13 and, in just three seasons, they managed to get a second place and consequent promotion to First League 18 years after last time. Jorge Simão will have the always hard task of keeping a recently promoted team in top flight for the season to come. He replaced promotion specialist Vítor Oliveira and will have to build an almost new team from the many new signings that arrived. One cannot help to notice the presence of former Sporting attacking midfielder Simon Vukcevic among those new faces. Experienced powerful midfielder Luís Alberto also joined Chaves coming from Tondela. Battaglia, on loan from Braga, and Francisco Ramos, on loan from Porto, can be important names in Chaves’ season as well.

Target


Flavienses will be thrilled if in August of 2017 they will be playing in First League again. No one will demand anything more than a simple, honest fight to avoid relegation. Getting back to be playing with Portugal best teams after so many years is already reward enough.