Who Is Hugo Viana?

As Manchester City opens a new chapter, Hugo Viana steps into the role of Manchester City Sporting Director, tasked with reshaping the club’s strategic decisions regarding recruiting new talent to sustain its success for years to come—even beyond Pep Guardiola‘s tenure.

This report delves into Viana’s influential time at Sporting.

It showcases his exceptional ability to scout and secure top-tier talent, a skill that promises to be pivotal for City’s future.

During his tenure at Sporting CP, Viana was renowned for his intelligent, impactful signings, which not only propelled the club to notable successes but also saw many of these players make significant moves to other clubs, where they continue to make their mark in the footballing world.

Now at Manchester City, his role is critical in steering a recruitment strategy that aligns with the club’s lofty ambitions.

This introduction sets the stage for a detailed exploration of why Viana was the choice for this crucial role and how his strategic insight is expected to harmonise with Manchester City’s objectives, potentially replicating the success he orchestrated at Sporting.

What is Manchester City’s Vision For Scouting?

Manchester City is renowned for signing players who may be somewhat under the radar or just beginning to make waves, transforming them into world-class talents.

Consider Bernardo Silva, who was not the most prominent player at Monaco, or Rúben Dias and Ederson from Benfica, who were promising young talents but not yet at a world-class level or ready to start for other major European teams.

Other notable names include Rodri, who was a substitute at Atletico Madrid; Gabriel Jesus, a burgeoning talent in Brazil; Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao; João Cancelo, a recognised talent at Juventus but not yet world-class; Leroy Sané from Schalke; and Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia.

These players, typically acquired for between 30 to 50 million euros each, had more potential than proven world-class talent but ultimately became key figures in City’s history, contributing significantly to their four consecutive EPL titles and a treble just a year and a half ago.

The rationale behind purchasing these players is their ability to take on multiple roles.

Sané can play on both wings, Rodri could fill in as number 8 if needed, and Silva has versatility from positions 6 to 10 and has even played left-back for City.

Gabriel Jesus can cover the entire frontline, from winger to striker, and even Ilkay Gündoğan, who was well-known from his time at Dortmund, has shown he can handle multiple roles in midfield—from a 6 to an 8 or a 10.

The overarching strategy is that City prefers to buy players who can perform in various positions.

This is especially critical for centre-backs, as City evaluates their ability on the ball before considering their defensive skills.

They ask: How well can you help us progress the ball from the back? Can you receive from our keeper and look to advance play?

Are you capable of playing long passes to break opposition defensive lines?

For other positions, the focus is on the players’ ability to retain possession, as this is essential to Pep Guardiola’s style of play.

They seek exceptionally intelligent players with the ball and value versatility highly.

They want players who are not one-dimensional but can adapt to various roles and situations on the field.

How Can Hugo Viana Fit At Manchester City?

Hugo Viana’s signings for Sporting have been crucial for the club’s success on the pitch and financially.

Similar to renowned “selling clubs” like Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, and Benfica, Sporting has excelled in acquiring talent from smaller clubs at modest prices, then developing and selling them for substantial profits, all while securing trophies and continental success.

This strategy has seen several of Viana’s signings move on to join some of the top teams globally.

For instance, Bruno Fernandes, perhaps the most illustrious of Viana’s acquisitions, now plays a pivotal role at Manchester United.

Pedro Gonçalves, another standout, continues to impress in Europe, adding value both on the field and potentially in the market.

Nuno Mendes quickly made a name for himself and now plies his trade at Paris Saint-Germain.

Gonçalo Inácio and Matheus Nunes have both carved out significant roles, with Nunes recently moving to Manchester City in the Premier League.

Pedro Porro and João Palhinha have also made high-profile moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, respectively.

Raphinha, known for his blistering pace and skill, now excites fans at Barcelona, where he has been on fire this season.

Viktor Gyokeres remains at Sporting but is widely expected to move soon, given his current form of scoring goals every week in European football.

Manchester City’s strategy of developing under-the-radar talents into elite players who attract attention from major clubs perfectly aligns with Viana’s proven philosophy of buying and enhancing lesser-known talent.

However, unlike Sporting, City is not known as a selling club.

Instead, it looks to retain players for longer tenures to further their development and contribute to sustained success on the field.

Viana’s adeptness in this area suggests he will seamlessly integrate into Manchester City’s vision, potentially bringing a new dimension to their already formidable recruiting strategy.

Hugo Viana Transfer Record At Sporting CP

Hugo Viana’s 3 Biggest Signings At Sporting CP

The previous image shows some of Hugo Viana’s biggest signings and the players he trusted in the Sporting project.

Let’s explore three of those major players that he signed and how they’ve improved.

Some of the players mentioned were through the academy; it’s not only about signing players but also about having an eye for talent from the youth level to bring them up to the main squad.

A club like Manchester City has many young talents in their youth level that come up in the main squad or end up departing to another club that is playing at the European level, a perfect fit for Manchester City and their project ideas from the past.

We will take a look at Viktor Gyökeres, Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Porro below.

Viktor Gyökeres Scouting Report

Viktor Gyökeres, a Swedish striker with exceptional ball-striking ability from all angles, has been gaining significant attention from the football world.

He is a forward who can cleanly and powerfully hit the ball from anywhere in the box.

He is similar to Erling Haaland in his physicality and ball striking, but he has more link-up play than most strikers.

Transitioning from the second division in England to becoming Sporting’s new striking force in Portugal is a huge step.

Now, playing in European competitions and with some of the best European teams in Portugal, this signing has been amazing for the club.

Many teams could have looked at this player in England and signed him even as a backup, but Viana saw the potential in him as a starting player, and now his price tag will surely be near 100 million euros to a massive club in world football.

Viktor Gyökeres Radar Map

Viktor Gyökeres Shots Map – Championship 2022/2023

21 goals in the Championship is impressive, but many people discredit his achievements since it’s the second division of England and not the top-flight league.

Yet, Sporting director Hugo Viana took the risk of buying this player for 5 million euros, which is an absolute steal.

This was the season he had before joining Sporting CP.

Viktor Gyökeres Shots Map – Primeira Liga 2023/2024

Now, the Swedish striker netted 29 goals in his first season in Portugal, playing top-flight football—a massive improvement from his previous season.

This shows how much Sporting can now trust him, and with such a season, all the biggest teams in Europe are watching him.

His expected goals (xG) actually went down in Portugal compared to England.

Still, he scored more goals, showing his improved ability to finish better.

Bruno Fernandes Scouting Report

Bruno Fernandes is one of the best players to come into Sporting and succeed outside of Portugal, other than Cristiano Ronaldo.

He is a midfielder who can play as an 8 or 10 and even drop into the 6 zone to be a deep-lying playmaker and help his team in the build-up.

Before coming to Sporting, Bruno played for one of the weakest teams in Italy, and nobody knew his name except those who watched Serie A.

Yet Sporting picked him up, and within a few years, he was a midfielder coveted by every club.

Fernandes then made his leap to Manchester United, where he enjoys playing the best competition that world football has to offer and is a key player and captain.

Bruno Fernandes Radar Map

Bruno Fernandes Shot Assists Map – Serie A 2016/2017

There’s nothing special to see in his assist map, and that’s what we want to highlight—a midfielder who plays typically a bit higher up the pitch than most, with only two assists for the entire season.

This is nothing extraordinary, just your average midfielder.

This was also the season he had last been in Italy before joining Sporting.

Bruno Fernandes Shot Assists Map – Primeira Liga 2017/2018

He instantly improved in his first season at Sporting, with eight assists and taking more responsibility in his team’s set pieces.

He has now started taking set pieces at the club.

Although eight assists are not extraordinary for a midfielder either, he had better stats in the following years at Sporting.

But it does show how well he instantly improved in the Sporting system and improved from his season before joining the club — a pickup that the footballing world missed out on that Sporting saw.

Pedro Porro Scouting Report

Pedro Porro is a very interesting full-back, a complete full-back who can defend well and move forward into attacking spaces to help his team in that area.

He is a player who can stop counterattacks on one end and start them himself on the other.

He is also very good in transitions, a complete full-back overall, and one of the best right-backs in the world.

Yet again, the eyes weren’t on him until he joined Sporting to kickstart his career, which he then used as a stepping stone to end up at Spurs.

Now, his defence and intelligence have undoubtedly improved as the years have passed, but let’s take a look at his attacking help before and after.

Pedro Porro Radar Map

Pedro Porro Shot Assists – La Liga

In his two years in La Liga, he wasn’t known for his attacking ability; three assists in two seasons are normal numbers for a full-back.

Nobody expects a full-back to be on the level of Trent Alexander-Arnold, but it’s extraordinary that Viana would see such a player with so much potential and then scoop him up and bring him to Portugal.

Pedro Porro Shot Assists – Primeira Liga

Now, at Sporting CP, you can see how his attacking output has improved massively.

He has 14 assists as a full-back and has taken on more important roles, such as set pieces and corners, for the club.

We are looking at his start in Portugal now.

Before his time in Spain, it wasn’t anything extraordinary, but now he’s earned the spotlight to jump ship to clubs like Manchester City and ended up at Tottenham Hotspur.

Conclusion

Overall, Hugo Viana is one of, if not the best, sporting directors up for grabs, and with City looking for someone to lead their new project and possibly post-Pep era, there isn’t a better person to go for.

His work at Sporting, where he picks up unknown talent and builds them into the Sporting project before they jump ship, is what he will do exactly at City, except they won’t be jumping ship but winning trophies and making history with the English club.

His eye for talent is extraordinary, not only at the top level of football but also through academies.

As we all know, City has many great players from its EPL 2 division.

Hugo Viana tactics will bring a new revolution of players to City, and it will be interesting to see how he shapes the club in the future.