Earlier this week, Sporting CP president Bruno de Carvalho said the permanent transfer of Sebastian Coates from Sunderland was just “a matter of time”.
The Uruguayan defender was loaned to the Portuguese side in January 2016, and can be bought at any time for a fee of around €5m, with the deadline being the end of the season.
Now in an interview with A Bola, Coates himself has confirmed his desire to stay at Sporting for longer than his loan from Sunderland. Speaking to the newspaper, he said: “I feel very comfortable and very happy at the club. At the moment, I only think of the league. It would be very beautiful to continue, but what happens after May doesn’t only depend on me.”
Asked about what the move to Sporting meant to him, the player told A Bola: “A great opportunity, in a historic and big club, in a competitive European league, with great teammates and the possibility to play the Champions League.”
Coates joined Sporting was met with a big expectation from the Portuguese press, who had daily stories speaking about the former Nacional, Liverpool and currently Sunderland owner player.
But the help from the media wasn’t really necessary, as he has proven himself to deserve a place in the team since day one.
He already has 37 appearances for the club, and it’s a puzzle to some why Sunderland couldn’t get better out of him.
