"Three in one" from the giant made in Premier: Bednarek is a reinforcement

A different tactical identity, a game plan that's beginning to solidify, and doubts regarding Rodrigo Mora's potential role in Francesco Farioli's 4-3-3 formation—a problem that has once again become apparent. FC Porto's first friendly at Estádio do Dragão, against the Dutch side Twente, offered some positive signs but also an Achilles' heel in the defensive midfield, amid the eagerness of young debutant Dominik Prpic and some errors by Nehuén Pérez. It wasn't even on purpose; it was a matter of a couple of hours: the blue and whites had just secured a reinforcement with the profile long desired by Porto's SAD after the departures of Pepe and, last summer, Marcano.

From the Premier League to Dragão ???? Jan Bednarek signs until 2029 ✍️ #WeFollowTogether

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) July 28, 2025

Jan Bednarek, the experienced 29-year-old Polish center-back, arrived in Porto this Monday for a medical and signed a contract with the Dragons until June 2029. He was welcomed by the club's director of football, Jorge Costa (Andoni Zubizarreta remains out of the loop, with the club yet to officially announce his departure). Linked to his longtime club since leaving Lech Poznan, Southampton, FC Porto will pay €7.5 million for the Polish international, surpassing the €100 million mark invested in 2020/2026, including the €75.3 million paid for Gabri Veiga, João Costa, Dominik Prpic, Borja Sainz, Froholdt, Alberto Costa, and Bednarek, and the €25.3 million offered for 90% of Nehuén Pérez's transfer fee and the remaining 50% for Samu in May. And the transfer window may not be closed.

For now, the Dragons have managed to address three of the deficiencies identified internally within the squad. On the one hand, they gain another central defender after the departures of Otávio and Marcano, with Prpic, Nehuén Pérez, Zé Pedro, and, if reinstated, Gabriel Brás available. On the other, they gain an experienced player who can bring more leadership to the Blue and Whites, who have been suffering from key players following the departures of the last two years. Finally, they reinforce their aerial prowess in defensive and offensive set pieces, given the size of the 1.89-meter central defender who has made over 180 Premier League appearances.

Commanding voice in defense ???? Jan Bednarek is a Dragon until 2029 ???? #SeguimosJuntos pic.twitter.com/kZ1MSBg1Lh

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) July 28, 2025

A product of Lech Poznan's youth academy, after spells with Sokól Kleczew and MSP Szamotuly, Bednarek alternated between the club's A and B teams until 2015 before making a permanent appearance for the Polish club's senior squad after a season on loan at Górnik Leczna. He was signed by Southampton in 2017 for six million euros when he was considered one of their most promising young center-backs. In total, the Pole played eight seasons in the Premier League, only going on loan to Aston Villa in 2022/23 (where he played just four games), and another in the Championship. The Saints were relegated again last season, which facilitated the departure of the defender, who has already worn the Polish captain's armband and has appeared in the final stages of two World Cups and several European Championships.

Praised for his consistency, reliability, leadership, and fighting spirit, Bednarek also became (even) better known in England when he admitted in 2022/23 that he had asked to leave Southampton on loan due to mental health issues. "Staying at Southampton was the worst mental option for me; I really needed to leave. I was always coming home tired and upset; I wasn't myself. Now, the old Janek is back. I'm happy. I was working with a psychologist who helped me a lot. Changing clubs at the time was the only solution. I don't know if I was depressed; I could have been. More than just looking at the diagnosis, we tried to find a solution. There are people who have much worse problems than me, but that was my problem. Time heals everything, and I moved on, I'm happy again," he emphasized.

Jan Bednarek, the new Dragon ???? Witamy w FC Porto! ???? #SeguimosJuntos pic.twitter.com/Nf3VT8BzGE

— FC Porto (@FCPorto) July 28, 2025

Jan Bednarek is 29 years old and 1.90 meters tall, with 69 caps for the Polish national team and nearly two hundred appearances in the top flight of English football. From now on, he will strengthen FC Porto's defense, after signing a contract valid for the next four seasons, until 2029. The small town of Słupca, in the heart of Poland, served as the birthplace for the Bednarek brothers in the 1990s. Jan, four years younger than Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper Filip, began playing football close to home, at Sokół Kleczew, before moving to the outskirts of Poznan. A season at MSP Szamotuły was enough to pique the interest of Lech Poznan, who recruited the powerful center-back when he was still a teenager. His debut for the first team, which earned him a Polish championship medal in 2014/15, was followed by a loan spell at Gornik Leczna and dozens of youth internationalizations”, highlighted the club.

"In the summer of 2016, he returned to his hometown and had an excellent season in the Ekstraklasa – so good that he ended up moving to English football and becoming Lech Pogba's biggest transfer ever, surpassing Robert Lewandowski's to Borussia Dortmund. Arriving at Southampton, his first experience abroad, he also made half a dozen appearances for the Saints ' U-23s before making his Premier League debut (and scoring straight away) against champions Chelsea. That game was followed by 183 more appearances in the British top flight, and in the last season, only three players managed to intercept more balls than Jan Bednarek – who equaled the 56 of Virgil van Dijk, his predecessor at Southampton and current Liverpool captain," he added.

“Porto's new number 5 arrives in the Invicta city after eight seasons in England, during which he also played in two editions of the World Cup (2018 and 2022), two editions of the European Championship (2020 and 2024) and four editions of the Nations League (2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024) with Poland”, concluded the text presenting FC Porto's sixth signing on Monday night.

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