When Sporting and Reading were negotiating the transfer of Tiago Ilori last month, Portuguese newspapers many times said the transfer was only happening because the player had a big desire to return to his old club.
The defender was added to the matchday squad for the game against Benfica this Sunday, but according to local reports, didn’t really get the reception he expected from club fans.
Newspaper O Jogo claims that when the Sporting players were being announced at the stadium, ‘a wave of boos stood out’ for Ilori.
As the player only stayed on the bench, there wasn’t more to see of the fans’ reaction towards him.
O Jogo explains that Ilori left Sporting ‘with some controversies’ around him in 2013, and some of the club fans still haven’t forgotten about that.
Now after signing a five-year deal with the club and completing his Reading exit, it looks like the player will have to work hard to get the fans’ support back.
