The Dragons to Fire? Taremi Has Porto Redemption in Mind

In nearly 90 years of the Portuguese Primeira Liga, the title has been won by just five different teams.

Of those, Boavista and Belenenses have lifted the trophy on just occasion each, meaning that the absolute vast majority of editions have been won by just a trio of clubs – Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and FC Porto.

Benfica are the most decorated champion in Primeira Liga history, while Sporting are the reigning victors – so you can forgive Porto for feeling a little bit left out.

Indeed the Dragons, as they are known, have won just one of the last three editions – a world away from their dominance of a decade or two ago, where they won seven titles in the space of eight seasons between 2005/06 and 2012/13.

A summer of upheaval saw Danilo Pereira and Moussa Marega leave the club, and with no major signings to replace them, the spotlight in 2021/22 will fall upon those already on the books.

Step forward Mehdi Taremi…

The Iranian sensation has, at the age of 29, unearthed the peak of his powers, and the move to Portuguese football has been the catalyst for the best form of his career. Taremi blasted 18 goals in 26 starts for Rio Ave in the 2019/20 season, and that persuaded Porto chiefs to open their chequebook for the frontman.

And that was a decision that has already been vindicated. The Iranian notched 16 goals, offered eleven assists and won the Man of the Match award on six different occasions last term, and one of his Champions League strikes – an audacious overhead kick that seemed to defy gravity – was named the best goal of the competition.

With Taremi in his absolute prime, can he help to fire Porto back to the top of the Portuguese football pyramid?

Reasons to Be Cheerful

The Primeira Liga 2021/22 football betting odds have the Dragons the second-favourites to win the title behind Benfica, and that is interesting given the revolving door policy that the Eagles have implemented.

Pedrinho and Nuno Tavares are the latest talents to depart the club, and they follow the likes of Ruben Dias, Carlos Vinicius (temporarily), Joao Felix, Raul Jimenez and Luka Jovic through the exit door – all within the last three seasons.

With an outstanding reputation for developing players, in a way, Benfica are their own worst enemy. Ultimately, it gets harder and harder to keep standards high in the midst of such turnover, and while they have been active in the market themselves – Roman Yaremchuk, Gil Dias and Joao Mario just three of the players brought in, you wonder how long their transitional approach to squad management can continue to bring success.

Third favourites Sporting will be looking to defend the league title, but there are those that believe the Lisbon club’s triumph in 2020/21 was something of an anomaly. Their midfielder, Pedro Goncalves, surely won’t score 23 goals in a single campaign again, and it’s noteworthy that no other Sporting player netted a double-figure goal tally – a gaping chasm left by the sale of Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United.

There are plenty of reasons for Porto fans to be optimistic then. They have largely retained the squad that swept them to the Champions League quarter-finals last term, and with the likes of Luis Diaz and Otavio providing the ammunition for Taremi and Toni Martinez, they have the firepower to blitz their way back to the summit of Portuguese football.

That would ensure that Taremi follows in the footsteps of the legendary Iranians Ali Daei and Ali Karemi in winning a major title on European soil.