‘So good’ – Thiago Silva’s new teammate is £52m wonderkid wanted by Premier League giants

Jan 23, 2026 - 08:30

Porto have been warned that they will already face a fight to hold onto their latest wonderkid just weeks after signing him.

The Portuguese giants have been active in the winter market by landing 41-year-old Thiago Silva and a player 24 years his junior.

Silva, who played for Porto’s B team between 2004 and 2005, has now returned to the club

Silva penned a six-month contract, with the option of a further year at Porto, days after he officially departed Brazilian club Fluminense.

The veteran defender’s first spell at ‘Tricolor’ ended in 2008 upon his move to AC Milan, the same year Oskar Pietuszewski was born.

17 years later, the pair both made their league debuts for Porto in a 1-0 win over Vitória Guimarães on Sunday, and each had an impact.

Silva played the full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet, but Pietuszewski stole the headlines with a breathtaking cameo.

European football expert Andy Brassell admitted he was ‘really impressed’ in a glowing review of the teenage winger’s debut.

“You look at him coming over just before Christmas, 17 years old, he’s come from Poland, and you’re thinking, ‘OK, one for the future, here we go’,” he told talkSPORT.com.

“Then he comes on in the second part of the second half, away at Guimarães, maybe the most difficult game that Porto have had this season.

“Pietuszewski comes on, never played for them before, only 17, and changes the game.

“The way he stretches the play, he’s playing off the left, the way he dribbles, the way he attacks players, the way he actually gets through his defensive work when he’s not got the ball.

“What planet has this kid come from? It’s amazing, really.”

Pietuszewski’s dazzling debut

The Poland U21 international joined compatriots and former Premier League stars Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior upon his Porto arrival.

Against Guimarães, he came on with the score goalless after 73 minutes and won a penalty from which Alan Varela scored the winner.

Pietuszewski then got the home side reduced to ten men late on after gliding past Telmo Arcanjo, who fouled him and was sent off.

“From the moment he’s arrived, he’s appeared super confident,” Brassell continued to talkSPORT.

“A part of that is he’s already got an excellent level of English, so he’s communicating with everyone in Portugal from day one, which really helps.”

Pietuszewski won a penalty and got an opponent sent off in his first outing

Varela (left) scored from the spot but owed it all to his new teammate

‘Already going to be hard to hold on to’

“But it’s interesting, because you think Francesco Farioli, as is his growing reputation, is such a win-now coach, that was what he was at Ajax, really.

“His vibe, Farioli, is that if you’re good enough, you’ll just play, and that’s it. And [Pietuszewski’s] made an enormous first impression.”

Earlier this month, Pietuszewski signed a three-year contract at Porto until January 2029 with a release clause of €60 million (£52m).

Brassell admitted: “I think, depending on how much he contributes between now and the end of the season, Pietuszewski is already going to be hard to hold on to, it feels, because he just looks so good already.”

Pietuszewski will continue his development at Porto after leaving his boyhood club

The Poland U21 international is considered a generational talent

Pietuszewski transfer news

Porto’s 77 had burst onto his new manager’s radar when he made his first-team debut for local club Jagiellonia at just 16 years old.

Pietuszewski came on as a substitute in a 3-0 away loss to Farioli’s Ajax in the second leg of the Europa League playoff round in 2024.

That connection may have played a part in the Polish starlet snubbing interest from Premier League giants to join Porto.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City were all reported to have sent senior scouts to watch Pietuszewski in action at the start of this season.

Pietuszewski, who boasted seven goals and two assists from the first half of the 2025/26 campaign, was also linked with Barcelona.

Pietuszewski has a release clause of €60m (£52m)

Buying from the Portuguese league

English clubs are no strangers to buying youngsters in the Portuguese league, but with mixed results.

Vitinha and Fabio Silva both struggled to settle at Wolves, and Enzo Fernández is still trying to justify his £100m price tag.

However, Brassell argued: “Some players are just so instantly convincing. I’m just going off a cameo in one game here.

“I’m just dazzled by this. I’ve no idea what it will be worth.

“All I know is it’s as good as starts get, and also what you have to say is Porto, Sporting and Benfica are really, really good at marketing players and extracting maximum value.”