Werder Bremen have aquired the services of another FC Porto man. Werder Generaly manager Klaus Allofs and the Portugese Under 21 international Hugo Almeida agreed on a one year loan deal with an option to buy the player at the end of the contract.

Klaus Allofs was happy about the result of the negotiations: "The signing of Hugo is the continuation of our philosophy of getting young players with an amount of experience and maturity, whom we are convinced of can improve further, to join the club. We've had an eye on Hugo Almeida for a while now and the trainer had a chance to see him for himself during the Under 21 European Championship before the World Cup."

Trainer Thomas Schaaf sees the tall striker as a further option up front for the Green-Whites: "He's a big, strong striker who's particularly good in the air. He's a style of striker that we've not had in the team before. Despite being only 22, he has a quality that goes beyond his years."

Hugo Almeida is a talented young FC Porto striker who has, through loan deals, picked up experience at a number of clubs. At the same time he has retained a steady place in the national team. Following years of playing in Portugese youth national teams, the youngster, at just 19, celebrated his full international debut in 2004 against England. At the UEFA Under 21 Euro Championships in 2004 he reached third place with the Portugese team and qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens. He played a vital roll in Portugal qualifying for the Under 21 Euro Championship in 2006, scoring eight goals in nine games.