Football Season Guide

Rio Ave had a slightly irregular season, last year, never able to extend a good run, all along the season. Vilacondenses were once again the kings of draws, with a total of 19 in 2023-24, after 10 in the previous season. Rio Ave was under a transfer embargo during the first window, which made them look a bit weak during the first half of the season. Things improved a lot after the January transfer window, where Vilacondenses brought a few important players. Unfortunately, a big part of those players and some more are leaving, as Rio Ave is having the biggest change in the squad of all teams for the new season. Important names like Umbaro Embaló, Josué Sá, Costinha or João Teixeira will leave. Adrien Silva and André Pereira are also big names leaving, but they spent most time of last season under injuries. On the way in, Rio Ave brought some promising but uncertain names. João Novais is a very welcomed return to the club, after a great impact in 2017/18. Kiko Bondoso and Clayton are excellent additions for the attack, with recent good performances in Vizela and Casa Pia, respectively. Jhonatan is a very reliable goalkeeper and the defensive line remains solid despite the departure of Sá. The attack looks menacing, even after the departures of Aziz and Boateng. Fábio Ronaldo will stay at Vila do Conde, and the addition of Kiko Bondoso, Tiago Morais and Ole Pohlmann might bring Vilacondenses' attack into a good level. The problem seems to rely in the midfield. The club will depend on an immediate impact from young new signings such as Brandon Aguillera or Giorgios Okkas, otherwise, the midfield will be a bit old and unimaginative. Keeping the manager Luís Freire is definitely a positive thing for the club, as his highly fluid and dynamic 3-5-2/3-4-3 system constantly poses problems to the opponents.