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Since the arrival of Jorge Jesus, the enthusiasm of Sporting fans towards the new season seems to have gone through the roof, but previous public disputes between him and club president Bruno de Carvalho prior to this season has led to fears over a potential bust-up in the future.

De Carvalho was one of many who criticised Benfica and the leniency referees had towards them last season, sparking accusations of match-fixing on Benfica’s behalf.

Managing Benfica at the time, Jesus voiced his displeasure at de Carvalho’s comments, but the two now appear to have settled their differences as Jesus looks to start a new episode in his life in command of Sporting.

Just how long this honeymoon period will last, however, is now in question, with many tipping a fallout to occur between the two Sporting figureheads sooner or later.

Speaking on live radio yesterday, football journalist and television pundit Joaquim Guedes explained the various ways in which he could see the two clash.

“Firstly, it’s important to establish that although Sporting and Benfica both have the same aspirations, to win the league title, the way in which Jesus did so at Benfica is completely different to the way he’ll attempt to achieve success with Sporting,” suggested Guedes.

“At Benfica, Jesus was able to sign almost every player he wished, he had total control of the way his staff functioned. Everything seemed to be set out for him, but I don’t think he’ll find much of the same at Sporting.

“A manager of his calibre needs to deliver titles, as he’s promised, but Sporting doesn’t appear to have the financial power to match Jesus’ requisites in the past.

“Should he fail to win trophies at Sporting, the blame game will commence behind the scenes, and that’s something Bruno de Carvalho, a big character himself, won’t tolerate.

Jesus welcomes the hard work on Monday for the club’s first training session of the new season, with many licking their lips at the sight of this 'new Sporting' going up against the manager's former club for the Portuguese Super Cup on the 9th August.

New Sporting manager Jorge Jesus has blasted the running of his former club Benfica in yet another episode of this ever-growing drama between the two Lisbon giants.

The new season is yet to start, but GQ Portugal has already decided to put their heads on the line and brand the ex-Benfica boss the ‘Man of the Year, as he offered exclusive quotes to the publication.

During the interview, Jesus hit back at claims that the Benfica board of directors laid things on a plate for him to succeed in his six-year-tenure, stating that only former player and current Director of Football, Rui Costa, knows anything about the sport at Benfica.

“He [Rui Costa] is the only element of the board who knows anything about football,” declared Jesus. “He is the only one who truly understands things.

“In my opinion, many of those who represent this ‘structure’, those who don’t have a clue about the game, owe their jobs at this level to Rui Costa.

“Any eventual footballing decision that is to be made at Benfica is either forwarded to Rui Costa to decide, or nobody will know what to do.”

During the interview, Jesus also confessed that he’s excited by the prospect of going toe-to-toe with Benfica in the upcoming season, revealing that he also loves the ‘arrogant’ and ‘confrontational’ tag placed upon him by his critics.

“I know many call me arrogant and I think that sometimes, things aren’t always how they look. I don’t mean to appear arrogant,” stated the new Sporting boss.

“However, I must admit that sometimes I am arrogant when I want to be and with who I want to be. It depends on the situation.

“In relation to personal conflicts that I have, I find it fun. I love to be confrontational so much that I think that desire to get involved in disputes is often distorted and morphed into arrogance by others. But if someone wants me to bring in, I’ll bring it!”

Some strong words there, I'm sure Benfica will look to sting back

Jorge Jesus always has something to say, doesn't he
After this war of words, I think the stakes will be raised even higher in the derby, hopefully you come out on top

Justice & Walter: Just a little bit of mind games. Jorge Jesus has got this

Sporting will be without both star man William Carvalho and central defender Ewerton for the start of the season, with the two likely to miss up to three months of action through injury.

Carvalho picked up a stress fracture to his tibia on international duty with Portugal in the Under-21s European Championships, a campaign which saw the midfielder miss the decisive penalty in the final versus Sweden in Czech Republic.

Much to Sporting’s anger, it has been reported that Carvalho had notified the Portugal medical staff of the injury in the earlier stages of the tournament, meaning that there is a good chance that the Player of the Tournament aggravated his injury by playing every minute of his nation’s campaign.

However, Carvalho’s injury means the defensive midfielder will at least remain at Sporting until the end of the year, as clubs like Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly prepared bids.

Also out for three months is Ewerton with torn ankle ligaments, a mainstay in Sporting’s defence since his move from Anzhi Makhachkala in January.

With a crucial UEFA Champions’ League qualifier and a date with bitter rivals Benfica coming up in the Portuguese Super Cup this August, Sporting may well be forced into the market to improve their squad depth.

Brazilian centre backs Douglas and Rhodolfo are just two defenders currently linked with a move to Sporting, meanwhile the likes of Alberto Aquilani and Kevin-Prince Boateng are being lined up to fill Carvalho’s void.

They'll be missed, hopefully those injuries won't hit your form too badly!

Ouch! That's tough luck mate. Huge misses!

Teo Gutierrez - £2,700,000

Joining Sporting as the joint most expensive signing of the summer thus far, Teo Gutierrez is sure to be a key figure in Jorge Jesus’ era at Sporting, initially. The Colombian has been capped 34 times by his country and is Jose Pekerman’s preferred option as a striker alongside Chelsea’s Radamel Falcao.

Gutierrez is likely to slot into Jesus’ 4x4x2 system alongside Islam Slimani, showcasing his link-up play and runs down the channel that has made him the go-to-guy at international level. With a wealth of experience to his name, Gutierrez will be hoping he can overwrite his last disappointing venture into European football by succeeding at Sporting, having scored just four times at the service of Trabzonspor from 2009 to 2010.

Bryan Ruiz - £1,400,000

Despite impressing on an international stage and captaining Costa Rica to their best ever World Cup campaign in Brazil 2014, life for Bryan Ruiz as a Fulham player never quite worked out for him. Joining the Cottagers for £10.5 million in 2011 from FC Twente, Ruiz failed to adapt himself to the pace of English football before also disappointing on loan at PSV Eindhoven.

Now, Fulham have cut their losses for good, agreeing to let Ruiz go to Sporting for a fraction of their investment. Playing as a wide playmaker in this current setup for Sporting, plying his trade in a considerably slower league, this could be the chance Ruiz has been waiting for to replicate his FC Twente days.

Naldo - £1,700,000

Standing tall at 6ft 2in, Naldo is a player who had found himself caught in the Pozzo system. The Watford owners signed the Brazilian centre half for Granada in 2012 before being transferred to Udinese, another club owned by the Pozzo family.

Having little luck at both clubs, Naldo was finally given his chance at Getafe where he played 30 times in La Liga last season. At Sporting, Naldo has the opportunity to cement a place as the boss of the defence alongside Paulo Oliveira, with the Portuguese defender’s ex-partner, Ewerton, side-lined until mid-October.

Joao Pereira - Free

After three years out of Portugal, Joao Pereira has returned to Sporting at the age of 31 to offer experience to a very young squad. Having been let go by Valencia in January, the Portuguese international failed to impress in his short stint at Hannover 96 to now join Sporting on a free transfer.

Pereira’s recent history suggests that he may well be a player who is declining quickly, meaning that we may have to put greater faith into Ricardo Esgaio, current right back for Portugal’s Under-21s squad.

Alberto Aquilani - Free

Many may brand him as a ‘Kop Flop’, but in a much slower league and for the deal we’ve managed to put in place to lure Alberto Aquilani away from Italy, this deal could prove to be crucial for Sporting in the early stages of the season.

As seen in previous updates, Sporting will be without William Carvalho for a fraction of the season, but Aquilani could well be the man to fill in the gap. Being as composed and experienced as he is, I’m hoping Aquilani turns out to be somewhat of a Pirlo lite for us.

Other Signings

Bruno Paulista: £2.7 million from Bahia
Azbe Jug: Free Transfer from Girondins Bordeaux

Joao Pereira is the best player I see here.

Some decent acquisitions that will fit well into Jorge Jesus' system, the 4-4-2/4-1-3-2. I think Teo Gutierrez is probably the best buy there, him and Slimani could form a lethal partnership.

SooruSooru: Ironically, he's been the least impressive of the lot in real life

Walter: Yeah, Teo certainly has his qualities. I'm particularly keen to try out Aquilani alongside William Carvalho and dominate as much possession as possible.

Thanks for the comments, people!

Bryan Ruiz is certainly a fantastic capture and hopefully he can prove to be an inspiration in attack!

Cedric Soares: £3,600,000 to Southampton

Having cemented his place as Sporting’s first-team right back in 2013/2014, Cedric’s impressive performances for the clubs saw him being linked to clubs like Arsenal and Barcelona.

With just a year left on his Sporting deal, Southampton moved first to sign the 24-year-old for a relatively small fee and initially leaving a gaping hole in Sporting’s right flank.

Diego Capel: £910,000 to Genoa

Once upon a time, Diego Capel made up half of Sevilla’s promising and blistering quick wing duo with Manchester City’s Jesus Navas. Failing to live up to the hype, Capel swapped southern Spain for the Portuguese capital in 2011 where he’d go on to become somewhat of a cult hero among Sporting’s fan base.

However, Capel soon saw his opportunities become limited since 2013, being utilised more often than not as a super-sub under Leonardo Jardim and Marco Silva the following season. Deemed surplus to requirements by Jorge Jesus, who’s signed Fulham’s Bryan Ruiz, Capel heads to the Serie A and loosens our wage budget.

Michael Ciani: Free to Espanyol

Despite being capped by France and playing his part in a Ligue 1 winning Girondins Bordeaux side in 2010, Mickael Ciani leaves Sporting just as quick as he signed for the Portuguese side.

Jorge Jesus hoped to find a commanding centre back for his defence in the wake of Ewerton’s long lay-off, signing Ciani on a free transfer on the same day he landed Naldo. Ciani failed to impress, however, exhibiting a heavier frame than expected and demonstrating a severe lack of pace in training.

Miguel Lopes: Loan to Granada

The Portuguese international and former FC Porto full back is one who has the required ability to play for a club of Sporting’s stature, but his time spent out of action due to injury in accordance to his salary has proven to be a deciding factor in Sporting letting Lopes go.

Granada shall pay all his wages and they will also get the opportunity to extend his loan spell beyond this season.

Mauricio: £1,900,000 to Lazio

Having gelled brilliantly alongside Marcos Rojo in the 2013/2014 season, Mauricio’s performances took a massive dip once the Argentine completed his £15 million move to Manchester United last season.

Former manager Marco Silva signed a defensive reinforcement in Ewerton last January and loaned out Mauricio to UEFA Champions’ League hopefuls Lazio; a deal the blue half of Rome has now chosen to make permanent.

New Espanyol signing Michael Ciani has revealed why he brought his time at Sporting to an end after little more than a month at the club.

Ciani joined Sporting on a free transfer from Serie A club Lazio this summer, having been benched by former Sporting man Mauricio and ex-Feyenoord star Stefan de Vrij.

The Frenchman was signed in hope that he could provide a commanding figure at the heart of Sporting’s defence, but his physique and lack of mobility reportedly left much to be desired.

However, the 31-year-old has now stated that he was the one who approached new manager Jorge Jesus about a move to Spain, noting that he didn’t enjoy life in Portugal and that there was no problem between him and his old boss.

“Portugal wasn’t my preferred destination,” said Ciani. “ When I arrived at Sporting, I quickly came to the conclusion that this move wasn’t what I needed in my career.

“There wasn’t much of a connection between me and the manager, Jorge Jesus, but I had a friendly conversation with him and we quickly agreed and established that I had to leave the club as soon as possible.

“I told him of my desire to play in Spain and there was no problem in terminating my contract once Espanyol declared their interest.”

Despite Ciani’s mutual termination, Espanyol will owe Sporting 25% of any future fee they may receive for the 2010 Ligue 1 champion.