Ten lower league Primeira Liga players that could be attracting interest this summer

A look at ten of the most talented players outside the Big Four of Portuguese football that should be attracting interest from clubs all across Europe this summer.

Nilton Varela (Belenenses)

Age: 19 | Position: LB/LM | Nationality: Portuguese | Appearances this season: 18 | Goals: 1, Assists: 2.

Plenty to be excited about regarding Nilton Varela. Burst onto the scene aged just 18 when he made his debut for Belenenses against Sporting CP. A pretty daunting match to be thrown into, but Varela seemed largely unfazed, playing the full 90 minutes despite his youth. There were a couple of shaky moments, but for a debut at such a young age against such superior opposition, there were encouraging signs.

And he slowly grew into the season, soon becoming a regular for the team as he played at left wingback, bringing the best out of him. It gave him increased license to roam forwards, and proved very confident with the ball at his feet, willing to show the directness to take on his man that makes things happen.

Often after beating the opposition fullback in those one-on-one duels, he’d show the ability to then follow that up with a good cross, and can consider himself somewhat unfortunate that he only came out of the season with 2 assists.

His confidence only seemed to grow as the season went on as his dribbling prowess and decision-making improved, keeping the defence on their toes as he added variety to his game, and his attacking qualities shone through.

Defensively he proved solid too, making him the perfect left wingback, as well as offering the versatility to occupy a deeper or more advanced role.

Pedro Goncalves (Famalicao)

Age: 22 | Position: CM | Nationality: Portuguese | Appearances this season: 40 | Goals: 7, Assists: 8.

There are plenty of incredibly talented players currently plying their trade for high-flying Famalicao, and many of them are incredibly youthful too. The like of Nehuen Perez, Racic, Alex Centelles and Diogo Goncalves all deserve huge praise - as does talisman Fabio Martins, of course - though none of them can be included on this list as they were all only on loan at the club from the likes of Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Benfica and Braga.

And that’s the story of Famalicao this season. They’ve made shrewd use of the loan market this year, as well as their excellent connection with superagent Jorge Mendes, and they’ve assembled a highly talented, youthful team without spending a lot of money. But perhaps their standout non-loaned player is Pedro Goncalves.

Brought in from Wolves, little was known about the central midfielder in Portugal - but the now 22-year old proved to be an instant hit. His dribbling prowess, decision-making and passing and shooting ability made him a well-rounded midfielder, and he was instrumental in Famalicao’s fantastic campaign.

Overall, he played 33 of Famalicao’s 34 Primeira Liga matches, only missing out through suspension, and led his side to 6th place in their first season back in the top flight.

Wolves fans may be wondering if they let this young gem go too soon - and you have to say it looks like they have done. A move to Sporting is on the horizon, having also attracted interest from both Porto and Benfica. He will cost the Libson club approximately 7 million euros.

Toni Martinez (Famalicao)

Age: 23 | Position: ST | Nationality: Spanish | Appearances this season: 39 | Goals: 14, Assists: 6.

It was a season to remember for Famalicao, and Pedro Goncalves was certainly not the only player to impress. Another crucial member of the side was former West Ham striker Toni Martinez, with the Spaniard proving an incredibly composed finisher.

Considering he was signed on a free transfer, the revelation that he is so lethal in the opposition box has been something of a surprise, and his 14 goals this season is testament to that.

His goals have come in good variety, some poachers efforts, be it in the form of a header or tap-in, others long-range shots, while some have come from bursting runs by the Spaniard. His positional awareness is a major asset to his game, while his ability on the ball makes him an accomplished dribbler too.

There’s every chance that Martinez will earn a move this summer, having performed so impressively this season.

Nanu (Maritimo)

Age: 26 | Position: RB/RM | Nationality: Guinea-Bissau | Appearances this season: 35 | Goals: 2, Assists: 6.

The game that proved just how impressive a footballer Nanu could be came in Maritimo’s exceptional 2-0 win over Benfica. His extraordinary display in that clash with the Portuguese giants ensured that he gained many admirers.

Illustrating exceptional explosiveness, directness and speed, Nanu was a constant threat to the Benfica backline, who simply did not know how to stop him. Operating in that right wing-back position, Nanu would regularly pick the ball up from deep, weave his way through the Benfica defence with elegance and purpose, and create a goalscoring opportunity.

In the 22nd minute of that game, for example, he dribbled past four defenders before laying the ball off to Pinho, who would have put Maritimo 1-0 up, but strayed just offside. It was a breathtaking run - and, even more impressively, was not the only occasions he completely tore apart the Benfica defence.

Indeed, just shy of 75 minutes into the game, he again went on a marauding run, picking the ball up in his own half, dribbling past one Benfica player before then knocking the ball past another, sprinting into the box before slotting a perfectly weighted ball across the box for Correa to tap home.

In what was almost a carbon copy of the first, he got another assist on the board just 5 minutes later, once again bursting into the Benfica half, cruising through the Benfica defence, before playing in Rodrigo Pinho at the back post to bundle the ball into the back of the net.

It was perhaps the best individual display of the season, and Nanu rightly earned plenty of plaudits. He’s also accomplished defensively too, and showed his obvious attacking traits in various other games this season, while his versatility, able to play anywhere on either wing, only makes him an even more valuable asset. Offering flair, intelligence in both the defensive and attacking phase, and creativity, plenty of clubs should be looking to sign the Guinea-Bissau fullback.

Fabio Abreu (Moreirense)

Age: 27 | Position: ST | Nationality: Angolan | Appearances this season: 37 | Goals: 15, Assists: 3.

A quality campaign for Angolan international Abreu, with the striker hitting his best form just before lockdown. Just prior to the season being suspended, Fabio Abeu scored in 6 consecutive games, and you wonder just how good his season would have been had the season continued as normal.

His numbers werre undoubtedly impressive nonetheless, Abreu a key figure in helping Moreirense to a very respectable 8th place finish. His season started quite poorly, with just 1 league goal to his name in his first 11 matches. But his form and perfomances improved significantly after that, showing many of the desirable assets of a forward.

Demonstrating strength, speed and composure, he refined his game and became a real handful for every opposition defence he came across, and it was no coincidence that plenty of his goals came in and around the 6-yard box, with great positional awareness and attacking instincts.

His link-up play also proved to be a strong asset to Moreirense though, Abreu willing to drop deeper to receive and hold up the ball before feeding the players around him.

Filipe Soares (Moreirense)

Age: 21 | Position: CAM | Nationality: Portuguese | Appearances this season: 34 | Goals: 4, Assists: 4.

Filipe Soares is another highly talented footballer playing outside the established big four in the country, and he is surely one that is going to make it to the very top level of the game. Just 21 years of age, Benfica fans must be scratching their heads as to how they let him go permanently.

His passing range and decision making in both the attacking and defensive phases of the game make him an incredibly talented central midfielder, and the fact that he is capable of both creating and converting goalscoring chances with his dribbling prowess and composure ensures he is highly influential every time he steps out onto the pitch.

He was undoubtedly a key figure in helping Moreirense to their 8th place finish this season, alongside the likes of Fabio Abreu, and many club will surely be contemplating a move for the Portugal U21 international.

Bruno Tabata (Portimonense)

Age: 23 | Position: Winger | Nationality: Brazilian | Appearances this season: 21 | Goals: 1, Assists: 10.

It was quite a shock that Portimonense were in such considerable relegation trouble past the halfway stage of the season, as their squad boasted a good deal of quality - but the star of their side is undoubtedly Bruno Tabata.

Indeed, his form after the season resumed was quite exceptional as he was at the centre of everything as Portimonense pulled themselves out of serious relegation trouble to nearly avoid finishing in the bottom two. They picked up a highly respectable 17 points from their final 10 games, with Tabata getting one goal and 8 assists in that time.

With an excellent crossing ability from both open play and dead ball situations, he can create a genuine goalscoring opportunity from various sources, with his deliveries from corners and freekicks often causing the oppositioin serious problems, and was a major asset to rejuvinating Portimonense’s season.

But he isn’t just a passer or set piece specialist. His tenacity and silky dribbling also ensures that he’s incredibly dynamic, able to help win back the ball in defensive transitions, take on his man and cut inside with his quick feet. He can also dictate play from deeper, with his close contact and intricate play ensuring he can dictate the game and identify defence-splitting passes.

He deserves to play at a higher level, and considering his young age, there should be many suitors for the Portimonense star.

Oleg Reabciuk (Pacos de Ferreira)

Age: 22 | Position: Left back | Nationality: Moldova | Appearances this season: 26 | Goals: 0, Assists: 1.

Though not the most impressive statistics this campaign, it was a solid season for Oleg Reabciuk, who joined Pacos in the 2019 summer transfer window from FC Porto and proved why he is already a regular for his national team, having represented Moldova 16 times.

A player that boasts good pace and is always looking for the overlap when the opportunity presents itself, je was slowly eased into proceedings at Pacos, only making two brief appearances across Pacos’ first 8 games, but quickly became an established starter at the club at left back.

For his first season playing senior football, he can be very pleased with his performances, both offensively and defensively. Of course there are areas of his game that could improve; it would be good to see him turning some of his marauding presence down the wing into more assists and direct attacking contributions, though that should come with more game time and experience, as he has shown that he has the characteristics to add that to his game.

Similarly, he has been solid defensively this campaign, but has on occasions been caught out of position, perhaps due to a lapse in concentration, though again that will be something that will improve with additional game time.

The outline of a serious talent is there. It’s now a case of refining that ability to become a well-rounded modern full-back.

Mehdi Taremi (Rio Ave)

Age: 28 | Position: ST | Nationality: Iranian | Appearances this season: 37 | Goals: 21, Assists: 5.

What a debut season for Taremi in European football, who has proven himself to not only be a clinical finisher, but an all-round impressive footballer. With good ball control and movement in and around the opposition area, he not only operates as a poacher, but can occupy dangerous position from deep and create goalscoring opportunities himself.

Several goals did come from the penalty spot, though having someone who is assured from the spot and is almost guaranteed to convert emphatically is exclusively a highly positive asset. He also won a fair few of them himself, which shows how his directness and explosiveness into the box can cause defenders great problems and force them into making a decision. In fact, he won all three of Rio Ave’s penalties against Sporting CP, which ultimately saw his side win 3-2.

Marcus Edwards (Vitoria Guimaraes)

Age: 21 | Position: Winger | Nationality: English | Appearances this season: 36 | Goals: 9, Assists: 9.

English footballers are hot property at the moment, with German clubs having set the trend of bringing in talented British footballers from a young age to give them first-team opportunities that they have been unable to find in their home country. But Guimaraes are a side that are also beginning to get a reputation for bringing in young English talents, Marcus Edwards the pick of the bunch.

When he was brought in from Spurs, it was almost unanimously seen as an excellent signing, the talent and trickery of the 21-year old well known, even if his attitude was called into question. That hasn’t been an issue whatsoever, though, and his dribbling from out wide has been a joy to watch all season. His skill paired with his composure in front of goal has made him a major asset to the side, and he played a significant role in Guimaraes’ Europa League campaign and their 7th place finish in the Primeira Liga.

Plenty of English clubs will likely be looking to bring him back to the country, with talented home-grown players always of considerable value.

Honorouble mentions

One other player that was originally going to be included on this list was Carraca, the attacking right fullback that has been a tremendous servant for Boavista, and had anothe great season at the Porto club this campaign, scoring twice and assisting 3 as he played 30 league games.

Claudio Ramos of Tondela is another impressive player outside the Big Four that deserves a high-profile move - and he has recently got exactly that, the Portugal international goalkeeper also securing a move to reigning champions FC Porto.

Toni Martinez. Photo author: Tam Tam. License link.