Benfica - Player Grades - Keepers and Defenders

Grading Benfica player performances during the 2023-24 season, I am only looking at players that played at some point for the club this season and are still members of Benfica's squad at this time. 

The grade scale goes from A to F with A being the best grade and F the worst grade a player can receive.

Lets start our player reviews with Keepers and Defenders: 

Anatoliy Trubin - The clear Benfica number one shot stopper, was brilliant for most of the season but did have that odd brain cramp, which seemed to happen a bit more during the clubs Champions League campaign, he had 17 clean sheets over 48 contests.

PLAYER GRADE: B- 

Samuel Soares - The youngster only appeared in 5 contests but did keep three clean sheets. He did not get enough game action for a proper grade but did what was expected when he did appear. It would be best if he was loaned out this upcoming season.

PLAYER GRADE: C+

Alexander Bah - Benfica's right back missed a lot of game time due to injuries this season but when he is healthy he is a game changer for the club. Here is hoping that he can spend more time on the field next season but a reliable back up would not hurt. 

PLAYER GRADE: C+ 

Fredrik Aursnes - Benfica's swiss army knife, he did all that was asked of him this season, playing wing back on both sides of the field, in the middle and on the wing. He appeared in 55 games this season totally 4,724 minutes, he is a real asset to the club but his play would flourish if he was given a more direct role.

PLAYER GRADE: A 

Antonio Silva - Silva appeared in 50 contests for Benfica and was a rock for the majority of the games, his partnership with Otamendi was solid when it had to be with the odd hiccup. This may be Silva's last season at the club if the price is right as some of Europe's top clubs hover around.

PLAYER GRADE: B+

Nicolas Otamendi - The Benfica captain did not slow down even though age is slowly creeping in, look for the sale of Silva to see him move to his much preferred right center back spot this season. This should help his performance for the upcoming season.

PLAYER GRADE: B-

Morato - He played well when he was in his usual center back position but on many occasions was out of sorts starting games at left back. With the likely departure of Silva, he is ready for regular minutes next to Otamendi but please keep him away from the left back role, he adds nothing to the clubs attack there.

PLAYER GRADE: C 

Tiago Araujo - He appeared in only 20 games and for a mere 737 minutes but the youngster did show some flare when giving the opportunity to show what he could add to the club. He should slot nicely into the number three spot at the club if Silva departs.

PLAYER GRADE: C+ 

Juan Bernat - Add Bernat to the list of PSG loanees that seem to come broken from Paris. Bernat was suppose to help Benfica in the left back role but did not reach 250 minutes of action. Benfica would be best to stay away from PSG players going forward, as little game action seems to be the common theme.

PLAYER GRADE: D+

Alvaro Fernandez - Joined the club during the winter transfer window on loan and appeared in 16 games with the club. Benfica made the loan move permanent and it will be nice to see what the 21 year old can give the squad with a full season under his belt. Had some real good attacking moments but will need to strengthen on the defensive side.

PLAYER GRADE: C

David Jurasek - The summer signing just could not get going at the club and did not seem to fit manager Roger Schmidt's system from the left side. He did not provide much on the attack as he was expected to when he arrived and the club had seen enough of him by January that they sent him out on loan to Hoffenheim after less then 500 minutes of action. Jurasek will likely not wear a Benfica jersey again.

PLAYER GRADE: F

Benfica set price point for Florentino sale

Benfica is all ears on incoming offers for defensive midfielder Florentino Luis with the arrival of Leonardo Barreiro, who is suited to play the same role. The Lisbon club is open to moving on from Florentino if the right offer is received from an outside club.

Everton is said to be leading a pack of clubs that are interested in Florentino but have yet to get to Benfica's current asking price of €30M. Now the price would be negotiable under the right circumstances, but Benfica is in no hurry to negotiate a lower price at this time.

Florentino is another member of Benfica's famous Seixal Academy, joining the Eagles when he was a mere 11 years old. He has appeared in 131 games across all competitions with the club, scoring once while providing four helpers.

Florentino has also spent seasons on loan with Monaco and Getafe throughout his Benfica career. Florentino has captured two league championships and two Super Cups in his time at the club while also being a member of Portugal's U17 and U19 European title winners.

Benfica linked once again with AZ Alkmaar striker

Benfica will be looking for another striker when the summer transfer window opens, as it looks to find a forward who can not only score but also insert himself into games with authority, something it was clearly lacking last season.

The four strikers that Benfica used this past season, Arthur Cabral, Marcos Leonardo, Casper Tengstedt and Petar Musa, combined for a total of 28 goals across all competitions. Goncalo Ramos scored 27 goals all by himself during the 2022-23 campaign, so you can see why the club is going to the well one more time this summer.

A familiar name has reappeared on the list of potential suitors that the club will be looking at and that is AZ Alkmaar striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who the club was linked to last summer before acquiring Arthur Cabral from Fiorentina.

The 25 year old Greek striker just finished his best season as a member of Alkmaar since joining them in the summer of 2021. A season that saw Pavlidis score 33 goals across all competitions, six more than all of Benfica's options in 2023-24.

Pavlidis will not come cheap if Benfica is to go this route, costing the club at minimum €25M and the club will need to move on first from Cabral and, to a lesser extent Tengstedt if they are to make a move to acquire the lethal striker they so badly need for the upcoming season.

Look for Benfica to sniff around a host of strikers this summer, with Pavlidis' name being just the first of what might turn into a long summer for the Lisbon club if they hope to find the right piece to their attacking puzzle for next season.