Ivan Fresneda's Revival: From Oblivion to Arsenal Target
Ivan Fresneda was supposed to be drifting out of sight. Now he is back on the radar of Europe’s elite – with Arsenal among those watching closely.
The 21-year-old right-back, once a highly rated prospect at Real Madrid and then Real Valladolid, looked like an afterthought at Sporting under Ruben Amorim. Signed for around £10 million and tipped as one for the future, he instead became a footnote: just 16 appearances across 18 months, a spell interrupted by shoulder surgery and defined by the sense that his manager simply did not see a role for him.
Then everything changed. Not for him at first, but for his coach.
Amorim left Lisbon for Manchester United. Rui Borges stepped in. And a player who had been, in the words of Portuguese outlet A Bola, “doomed to oblivion” suddenly became indispensable.
From the fringes to the forefront
Borges has built a very different version of Sporting’s right flank, and Fresneda has been at the heart of it. Where Amorim wanted wing-backs who could stretch the pitch and pile up attacking numbers, the new man has leaned into Fresneda’s strengths: defensive awareness, positioning, and a sharp reading of the game.
The impact has been stark. Fresneda has already amassed 63 appearances under Borges, a staggering contrast to his bit-part status under Amorim. He has forced his way back into Spain’s youth setup too, collecting four caps for the under-21s last season after a two-year absence from international duty.
He is not one for headline numbers. Across his club career, he has just four goals and four assists. That does not bother his admirers. Scouts talk instead about his combative edge, his discipline without the ball, and a maturity in how he manages his flank. A Bola now describes him as central to Sporting’s long-term plans, a complete reversal from the period when the club were prepared to let him go and even held talks with Como over a possible transfer.
That deal never happened. Instead, the player stayed and the narrative flipped. The Italian move came, but for someone else.
Amorim’s new chapter, Fresneda’s new market
While Fresneda rebuilt his status in Lisbon, Amorim moved on to AC Milan, appointed as the successor to Massimiliano Allegri at San Siro after the Rossoneri failed to secure Champions League football.
Milan’s hierarchy have been keen to frame the appointment as a statement of intent. In their official announcement, the club hailed Amorim’s “modern, dominant tactical approach with clear player profiles and strong organisational design that develops young players and maximises their potential.”
Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of majority owners RedBird Capital Partners, went further, explaining why they had pursued the Portuguese coach for so long. “We have tracked Ruben for years, and his Sporting tenure is extremely impressive and reflects the style of play that we are looking for,” he said, describing Amorim as “one of the most prepared and innovative coaches of the new European generation – young, ambitious, and with a modern footballing identity defined by dominating games in possession, a modern pressing system and a clear tactical approach.”
Cardinale underlined a philosophy built on “high press attacking football with quick transitions that enable greater goal scoring,” insisting that Amorim’s ideas “align perfectly” with Milan’s vision.
It is a glowing endorsement. Yet it also throws Fresneda’s revival into sharper relief. The coach praised for maximising young talent is the same one who could not find a consistent place for a defender now being watched by Arsenal and monitored again by Real Madrid.
Arsenal watching a different kind of full-back
For Arsenal, the attraction is clear. Mikel Arteta has steadily moved towards full-backs who can defend one-on-one, tuck inside, and help control games without needing to bomb forward at every opportunity. Fresneda’s profile – a defender first, neat and reliable in build-up rather than explosive in the final third – fits that trend.
Reports in Portugal link both Arsenal and Madrid with interest this summer, with A Bola suggesting that Borges has “unlocked” something in the young Spaniard that Amorim never quite tapped into. Sporting, once open to a sale, now see him as a cornerstone.
From “doomed to oblivion” to indispensable in the space of a season. If Arsenal or Madrid decide to move, the next twist in Fresneda’s story will not be played out in the shadows.
