Porto coach Julen Lopetegui gave his opinion on the arrival of Iker Casillas at the club, speaking after his side beat Dutch team Fortuna Sittard in a friendly, in which the Spanish goalkeeper stayed on the bench. He’ll make his debut with the Portuguese club on Saturday against Duisburg.
The Spanish coach said the signing of Casillas was possible “because he wanted to and we wanted to. He was so excited to come here. Both Iker and Porto have made a huge effort to bring him here, something which shows the stature of the club. It’s good for Porto and good for Iker”.
Lopetegui was full of praise for the Spanish World Cup winner: “He’ll bring experience, character, he’s a winning player and logically we’re delighted he’s here. Iker will give us solidity we need at crucial moments. The main thing is that Iker is keen to keep competing, to keep learning, he has the humble competitiveness he’s always had and we’re going to help him to maintain that”.
The Porto coach also talked about why Casillas had chosen his club: “He told me he liked how we played, that he’d be very comfortable here and I told him about the club. He didn’t think about it for a second”.
Lopetegui said Casillas had been great so far: “I know him well and how he works. He’s really keen, like a kid in a new nursery because he’s never been somewhere else before”.