Ivan Fresneda: From Sporting Afterthought to Sought-After Right-Back

Ivan Fresneda’s unlikely rise from Sporting afterthought to one of the most-watched right-backs in Europe has taken another twist, with Arsenal now among the clubs circling for his signature.

This is the same player who, not long ago, could barely get on the pitch under Ruben Amorim. Now he’s being described in Portugal as “indispensable” and central to Sporting’s future. Football careers don’t usually flip this hard, this fast, without a serious change in circumstance – and in Fresneda’s case, that change was a new coach.

From the fringes under Amorim

When Sporting paid around £10 million to bring Fresneda from Real Valladolid, the move looked like a smart, long-term investment. A Real Madrid academy product, a Spain youth international, and a modern full-back profile. On paper, it fit.

On the grass, it never really did.

Under Amorim, the now-21-year-old managed just 16 appearances across 18 months. A shoulder surgery that kept him out for two months didn’t help, but even when fit, he sat on the periphery. The issue, as framed in Portugal, wasn’t attitude or application. It was fit.

Amorim’s wing-backs are asked to drive high, stretch the pitch, and add constant attacking thrust. Fresneda, for all his promise, is cut from a slightly different cloth: defensively sharp, positionally disciplined, more destroyer than creator out wide. A Bola report that Sporting were even open to cutting their losses, entering talks over a possible move to Como. At that stage, his Lisbon adventure looked like a short one.

He was, as the paper put it, “doomed to oblivion.”

Rui Borges unlocks a different full-back

Then came Rui Borges. And with him, a completely different version of Ivan Fresneda.

Since Amorim’s departure for Manchester United and Borges’ arrival, the right-back has become a fixture. Sixty-three appearances under the new coach tell their own story. The trust is obvious: Fresneda starts, competes, defends, repeats.

His attacking numbers remain modest – just four goals and four assists across his club career – but that is not what is drawing scouts and sporting directors to the stands. What stands out is his defensive craft: timing in the tackle, reading of danger, a willingness to engage and a combative edge that gives Sporting balance on that flank.

That resurgence has spilled onto the international stage. After two years out of the Spain youth setup, Fresneda earned four caps for the under-21s last season, a quiet but significant nod that his development is back on track.

Inside Sporting, the tone has changed completely. The same club that once weighed up a sale now view him as a pillar of their long-term project. The “cinematic script” line from Portugal no longer feels exaggerated. It’s exactly the kind of arc that catches the eye of elite clubs.

Arsenal and Real Madrid take notice

Arsenal are one of those clubs. So is Real Madrid, who know the player better than most from his formative years in their academy.

For Mikel Arteta’s side, Fresneda’s profile makes sense. Arsenal have leaned on Ben White as a hybrid centre-back/right-back and used Takehiro Tomiyasu as a defensive option on either side. A young, specialist right-back with strong defensive instincts and room to grow on the ball fits the recruitment pattern of recent windows: technically capable, tactically intelligent, still developing.

Reports in Portugal suggest Arsenal’s interest is built on exactly those traits that once worked against him under Amorim: defensive awareness, positioning, and a relentless competitive streak. In a league where transition moments often decide big games, a full-back who can shut down a flank has real value.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, are always scanning for ways to bring back academy products who prove themselves elsewhere. Fresneda’s resurgence in Lisbon has inevitably put him back on their radar.

Amorim moves on, Milan buys the vision

While Fresneda’s stock has climbed in Portugal, Amorim has moved on to his own high-profile challenge. AC Milan have turned to the Portuguese coach to replace Massimiliano Allegri at San Siro after missing out on Champions League football.

Milan’s announcement left no doubt about why they chose him. They highlighted a “modern, dominant tactical approach” and a structure built on clear player profiles and strong organisation. RedBird Capital Partners managing partner Gerry Cardinale went further, calling Amorim “one of the most prepared and innovative coaches of the new European generation,” praising his high-pressing, possession-based style and his track record in developing young players.

It’s an intriguing contrast. In Lisbon, that same tactical framework never quite found a place for Fresneda. In Milan, the club hierarchy are betting heavily that it will elevate a different group of young talents.

Fresneda, meanwhile, has rewritten his own story under Rui Borges. Once a footnote in Sporting’s squad planning, he is now a cornerstone – and a live option for clubs like Arsenal and Real Madrid.

The only real question left is where this revived career takes him next: anchored on the right for Sporting’s next cycle, or stepping back onto the elite stage he seemed destined for when he left Real Madrid as a teenager.