Porto appoints Italian 36-year-old coach, Bologna signs Czech defender Vitic

On July 6, local time, Porto's giants in the Portuguese Super League officially announced that Italian coach Francisco Farioli will serve as the new coach of the first team from the 2025-26 season.

The Portuguese giant wrote on its official website: "Francisco Farioli became the new head coach of Porto Football Club. Porto's new coach was born 36 years ago in a small town in Tuscany. His life path is different from most people. As a football fanatic and former amateur player, he never gave up his studies and received a degree in philosophy from the University of Florence."

Farioli coached the Eredivisie giants Ajax last season. He started off with smooth sailing, but with five games left in the 2024-25 season, he lost a 9-point lead and was eventually overtaken by Eindhoven to rank second in the league.

Farioli left Ajax with the consent of both parties in May on the grounds of "divergence of principles" and now he has signed a two-year initial contract with Porto to coach until the summer of 2027.

Porto became the fifth club Farioli coached, after he served as the head coach of Turkey's Fatih Kamagumruk and Alanyasburg, as well as the head coach of Nice and Ajax in Ligue 1.

36-year-old Farioli will replace Martin Anselmi, who finally led Porto to third place in the league, and Anselmi was fired after disappointingly defeated the club's World Cup.

Bologna Club officially announced that it would sign Prague Spartan defender Martin Vitic. Italian media believe this cleared the way for their defender Beckmar to move to Naples.

Bologna has officially confirmed the joining of the 22-year-old central defender. It is reported that the total transfer fee is 15 million euros, of which the fixed fee is 11 million, plus a 4 million bonus clause. Vitic signed with Bologna for 4 years until the summer of 2029.

"As a right-footed centre-back, Vitic has performed well in physical confrontations, especially in the air, thanks to his impressive physique (1.93m). The 22-year-old has spent a major season in Sparta Prague, making 42 appearances in all competitions, contributing to their fourth place finish in the Champions League and the league."

"Vitic joined as a kid The youth team of Sparta Prague, one of the most prestigious clubs in the country. In January 2021, he entered the first team and immediately won the regular starting position. He scored 21 goals in 192 matches in the Czech top league, the Czech Cup and European competitions and has now left the club. "

Vitic joins Bologna, meaning Dutch defender Bekma is expected to transfer to defending Serie A champion Naples soon. Naples will reportedly spend about €30 million to sign Bekema from Bologna.