Sunday, June 11, 2023

Benfica look at Girona striker Castellanos

Benfica Blog
A day after landing the most expensive signing in Portuguese League history when the club acquired Orkun Kokcu yesterday from Feyenoord for €25M with an additional €5M in adds on the club is now being linked with Girona striker Taty Castellanos according to reports from CNN Portugal.

The 24 year old Castellanos has spent the season on loan with Girona from MLS club New York City FC and has shone for the Spanish side scoring 13 goals, with four in one game, while providing one helper for the tenth placed club. Castellanos is said to be valued at €10M.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Benfica in spot to compete in lucrative Club World Cup

Benfica are in a pole position for a place at the lucrative Club World Cup which is set to take place in 2025 at a currently unknown host country. The new FIFA tournament will showcase 32 clubs from around the world and be played every four years going forward.

UEFA will be awarded twelve spots at the competition with the Champions League winners from 2021 to 2024 automatically qualifying for the competition and the next eight spots going to the best ranked clubs over a four year period (2021 to 2024) with no more then two clubs representing one country with the exception of Champions League winners.

Benfica currently sit in one of the eight best spots to qualify for the tournament with one year left before teams are made official. Currently Chelsea and Real Madrid have already qualified for the tournament from UEFA's zone after claiming the past two Champions League titles with one of Manchester City or Inter Milan set to claim the third spot.

The 32 team club tournament is said to have a prize pot of €50M to spread around the participating clubs based on performance and will feature eight groups of four clubs per group that will take place over the span of a month. Rivals FC Porto are on the cusp of the tournament also.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Florentino has become a wanted man in Europe

Benfica Blog
Benfica's Florentino Luis has become a wanted man according to reports coming out of Spanish newspaper Relevo, with several clubs vying for his signature. The 23 year-old midfielder had an impressive season for the Portuguese giants after a couple of loan spells away from the club and showcased his defensive abilities and composure on the ball under the tutelage of manager Roger Schmidt.

Florentino's performances have gained the attention, of AC Milan, Lyon and Aston Villa who are all reportedly interested in signing him. Despite being a young player, Florentino has already shown maturity beyond his years. He is comfortable playing in different positions across the midfield and can adapt to different tactical systems. His physicality and work rate make him an asset to any team.

Benfica are said to want €40M to move on from Florentino who has become a fundamental part of Roger Schmidt's system, appearing in 54 games across all competitions and has a contract with Benfica until the summer of 2027 with a buy clause of €120M.