Portuguese giants Porto are delighted to have captured Ghana's World Cup defender Daniel Opare on a free transfer after the right-back arrived on Saturday for pre-season.
After agreeing to a free transfer switch to Porto earlier in the summer, 23-year-old defender Daniel Opare has arrived at the club's training ground for pre-season after a difficult World Cup.
The Ghanian, who has long been thought of as one of the most promising fullbacks around, has moved to the Estadio do Drago as part of the Portuguese outfit's rebuilding plans.
Daniel Opare, #GHA international who was at the #WorldCup #Brazil2014, was at Olival earlier today! Welcome! #FCPorto pic.twitter.com/oFIugA25yW
— FC Porto (@FC_Porto) July 12, 2014
Opare had only featured in one game in Brazil, Ghana's opening defeat to the USA, but after being linked to several Premier League clubs over the last few years, including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham, it isn't unreasonable to predict that he will make a success of his time in Portugal.
The youngster had been a regular for the last four years in Belgium with Standard Liege, making 116 appearances, after spending some time with Real Madrid earlier in his career. It was in Liege that Opare really began to impress, and Arsene Wenger had been credited with a serious interest on more than one occasion.
Porto only managed a third place finish in the league last season, just the second time in the last twelve years where they haven't finished in the top two. In fact, other than in 2010, the capital club have won the league in seven of the last eight seasons.
Naturally, such a run was always going to come to an end, but with the many millions coming in from various big money sales to Russia, Spain and England, there will almost certainly be high hopes that Porto will be back fighting for the title come May next year.
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Porto have already sold Brazilian midfielder Fernando to Manchester City as they look to change things around, while Eliaquim Mangala looks set to follow for big money. Star striker Jackson Martinez is another player linked with a departure, with Arsenal reported to be in the running for the Colombian.
Opare is joined in the Portuguese capital by several players, the most high profile of which is Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez.
Would Opare have been a good signing for Arsenal?