This week, as the Brazilian media revealed that Porto player Pepê has a €50m offer to switch clubs this summer, it was claimed that the bid could be coming from Chelsea, since the Blues are one of the clubs who are strongly interested in signing the 26-year-old.
It turns out that as Portuguese newspaper Record today features an interview with the winger’s former manager Renato Gaúcho, who used to train him at Grêmio, there’s something interesting said about his potential move to Stamford Bridge.
Despite being originally a winger, Pepê has also been used as a fullback since last season. And his former coach believes he couldn’t succeed with a defensive role at Chelsea, so if signed, he better arrive to play in attack.
“Each coach has his own ideas and we have to respect that, but I’d never give up a creative winger, who opens up defences and creates opportunities, to play as a fullback… I was very surprised and from what I know of Pepê I’m sure that he’s not 100% satisfied when he is not playing in attack,” Renato Gaucho told Record.
“At the national team there is this gap, it is true, but if the next coach is Brazilian, I very much doubt that he can be called-up as a fullback. I don’t remember one that made such an adaptation. There was talk of him for Chelsea… Can you imagine him playing fullback in the Premier League, with that size and without much defensive ability? I think the same of him at the Brazilian national team. I see him reaching the national team sooner if he plays as an attacking winger.”
Pepê started being used as a right-back last season, and manager Sérgio Conceição continues to like that option, having put the player in that position eight times in 2022/23.
The Brazilian is protected by a €75m release clause, and if the €50m bid from Chelsea is true, Porto are expected to push for a little more.
