Coach puts contract talks at Portuguese side on hold to focus on beating the drop

Former Hearts coach Paulo Sergio is determined to avoid relegation with new club Portimonense before discussing whether to renew his contract.

Sergio was appointed by the Algarve side in February with the primary task of avoiding the drop from Portugal’s

Primeira Liga. He took charge of four games before the coronavirus shutdown, but the remaining ten matches of the campaign will be played from next month.

Portimonense are six points outside the safety zone in the league table and Sergio is convinced they can preserve their top-flight status.

“I have only been in charge for four games,” he said. “My idea is to try to save them but now my work has stopped in the middle as we try to adapt to a whole new situation.

“I am working very hard so hopefully we achieve enough points to keep this club in the Primeira Liga.

“Portimonense is a very good club with good conditions for working. There are very good people in charge so we have to

do everything we have to get the points.

“We are going to do it, I am sure. It’s a big challenge but we have to face it with no regrets.

“They want to renew [the contract] but we have time. The main goal is to keep this team in the top division in Portugal and after we have time to see what we are going to do.”

Portuguese teams are back training to prepare for a restart date of 4 June. Sergio believes it is a risk to play amid a global pandemic but admit

ted that there was little he or his club could do.

“We are going to play the last ten games. The date they are speaking about to start the games is 4 June. We are in our third week of work but it is going to be difficult after 90 days with no matches,” he explained.

“We are going to play every four or five games and play all ten games inside one and a half months.

“It will be tough but at least they are giving us the chance to fight for the points.

“The other option, in my

opinion, would be not to finish the league and not to relegate anybody. Then the two clubs who are first and second in the second division get promotion. But they want to play all the games so we are going to do it.

“We are taking a lot of risks because we started working three weeks ago and the conditions about our health and about this virus are not safe.

“It’s too risky but they made the decision and we have to do it. At least we will have the chance to save this club.”