Valencia Makes Long-Term Bet on Portuguese Midfielder André Almeida

The decision by Valencia CF to hand André Almeida a fresh contract that ties him to Mestalla until 2029 says as much about the Spanish club’s long-term strategy as it does about the 25-year-old’s standing among Portugal’s new midfield generation. The Lisbon-born playmaker may have logged only 32 first-team minutes in the new La Liga campaign, yet the extension—confirmed at the end of September—places him at the centre of Valencia’s rebuild and hands Portuguese fans another reason to keep one eye on the east coast of Spain.

A vote of confidence from Mestalla

Valencia’s board, wrestling with the financial straight-jacket that has dogged the club for most of the past decade, rarely awards multi-year deals without a crystal-clear purpose. By offering Almeida a four-season add-on, sporting director Miguel Ángel Corona effectively made the former Vitória Guimarães man the emblem of a squad that has already been trimmed of high earners. Inside the dressing room, the move was greeted as a reward for the midfielder’s versatility, his knack for dictating tempo and his popularity among younger teammates. Coach Carlos Corberán, who replaced Rubén Baraja in the summer, pushed hard for the renewal, arguing that Almeida is one of the few players comfortable operating as a number 10, an advanced 8 or even a deeper regista depending on match context. For supporters in Portugal, it is a reminder that exports from the Primeira Liga can still command both trust and responsibility in one of Europe’s most unpredictable environments.

Money talks: what we know about the new deal

Neither the club nor the player disclosed exact figures, but sources close to the negotiation confirm a salary jump of more than 50%, lifting Almeida’s annual pay packet from roughly €600 000 to somewhere in the region of €1.3 M. Crucially, there is no publicly declared buy-out clause, a detail interpreted in Spain as a deterrent to Turkish and Bundesliga clubs that probed for a summer bargain. Valencia’s precarious accounts once forced them to sell Ferran Torres and Gonçalo Guedes; locking Almeida in at a higher wage signals the hierarchy’s determination to avoid another fire-sale, at least until the end of the current TV cycle in 2027.

Why Valencia is hanging its rebuild on a Portuguese passer

Almeida’s first season in Spain showcased his vision: 34 league appearances, 2 549 minutes and 43 key passes, the ninth-best tally among La Liga midfielders in 2022/23. Injury trimmed his involvement the following year, but Corberán’s data-driven staff still see him as the side’s best conduit between defence and the front line. With academy graduates Javi Guerra and Diego López breaking through, the club wants an experienced yet still-growing player to knit phases together. Almeida’s willingness to carry the ball under pressure—something Portuguese coaches drill into their midfielders from junior age groups—fits neatly with Corberán’s preference for a high-rest-defence shape that relies on retaining possession deep in the opponent’s half.

How does Almeida stack up against his peers?

Stacking the numbers next to Vitinha and João Neves, two other Portuguese midfielders lighting up the Ligue 1, offers a nuanced picture. Almeida matched Vitinha’s 43 key passes last season despite playing 5 matches fewer and produced one more assist than the then-Benfica starlet João Neves managed in his first full top-flight campaign. Where the Valencia man lags is goals: he has not found the net since April 2024, while Vitinha scored 7 times in 2023/24 alone. Yet scouts in both Portugal and Spain note that Almeida’s role under Baraja—and now Corberán—has been more about progression and control than late-box bursts. The underlying metrics back that up: he averages 7.2 progressive carries per 90, far ahead of Neves’ 5.6 and only fractionally behind Vitinha’s 7.4 at Paris Saint-Germain.

National-team implications and next steps

With Roberto Martínez continuing his search for options who can ease the creative load on Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, a resurgent Almeida could crash the Seleção conversation ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Consistency, rather than flashes of brilliance, will be the decisive factor; the midfielder has not worn the senior crest since his U21 days, but observers inside the Portuguese Football Federation say the technical staff track his La Liga performances weekly. For now, however, the mission is simpler. He must translate the board’s vote of confidence into minutes on the pitch, starting with October’s trip to the Benito Villamarín, where Corberán is expected to hand him a first league start of the season. Portuguese supporters tuning in via Eleven Sports will be watching closely—not just to see whether a compatriot thrives, but to gauge whether Valencia’s latest gamble on continuity proves to be a masterstroke or another footnote in the club’s erratic modern history.