Benfica land left back Beste from Heidenheim

Benfica look to have found their solution at left back with today's signing of Jan-Niklas Beste from German club FC Heidenheim. Benfica will pay €8M to acquire Beste, with a potential €2M in add ons if certain incentives are met and sign Beste to a five year contract.

Beste is the second left back acquired by Benfica this summer after they activated the buy clause on Alvaro Fernandez at the conclusion of the season and the club is hoping that both players will bring out the best in one another as they battle for playing minutes with the Lisbon club.

The 25 year old has been used in more of wing back role over the previous few seasons with Heidenheim and has not played regularly at left back since the 2020-21 season. This is the type of player that manager Roger Schmidt loves, as he can move anywhere along the left side of the field if needed.

Beste appeared in thirty-two games, scoring eight goals while providing fourteen helpers across all competitions for Heidenheim last season, his first full season in Bundesliga action. The left footer was also one of the last cuts to make the German squad for this summer's Euro 2024.

Benfica league schedule for 2024-25 season released

The Portuguese League has released the full schedule for the 2024-25 season and we now all know who Benfica will face week in and week out. 

Benfica will kick off their campaign on the road against Famalicao on the weekend of August 11th and open the season at the Luz the following weekend against Casa Pia.

Benfica will take on rivals FC Porto in Week 11 at home and Week 28, they will face city rivals Sporting in Week 16 on the road and Week 33 and end the season on the weekend of May 17 on the road at Braga.

Benfica will also travel back to the islands to face both Santa Clara and Nacional who make their returns to top flight. Benfica are in Sao Miguel, Azores for Week 22 of the season and in the Madeira on Week 8.

Full Benfica Schedule; Click to Enlarge:

Benfica will loan Prestianni out this season

Benfica will be looking to get winter transfer signing Gianluca Prestianni some regular playing time this season, but it will not be with the club as they look to loan the 18 year old. The club is currently assessing their options on where it would be best to place the winger, as they want to make sure Prestianni is put in the best possible position to grow.

Ajax are said to be the front runners to land Prestianni's services, but there are also a few Argentinian clubs with interest in bringing home the U17 international. Benfica acquired Prestianni from Velez Sarsfield for €9M and any loan of the player will not include a buy option. 

Benfica are hoping that a Prestianni loan will have the same results as Andreas Schjeldrup, who returned to Norwegian club Nordsjaelland last season on loan. The 20 year old scored ten goals and provided eleven assists across 38 games, his performance not only had him named the spring season player of the year but also earned him his first call up to the national side.