FC Porto has named Italian coach Francesco Farioli as its new head coach on a deal running to June 2027, the Portuguese club said on Sunday. The appointment was made by club president André Villas-Boas, who stated he is backing Farioli “for the present and the future.” Farioli, 36, arrives at the Estádio do Dragão after one-season spells with Alanyaspor, OGC Nice and AFC Ajax, making Porto his fourth club in as many years. A former goalkeeping coach in Roberto de Zerbi’s staff, he has built a reputation for possession-based, high-press football. At Ajax last season he surrendered a nine-point lead late in the Eredivisie campaign, finishing second to PSV Eindhoven. He replaces Martín Anselmi, who departed following a trophy-less 2024-25 campaign in which Porto ended third in Portugal’s Primeira Liga and missed out on direct Champions League qualification. The club will hope Farioli’s tactical approach can revive its domestic form and strengthen its bid for European revenue ahead of UEFA’s revamped competition format starting next season.