Antonio Silva turns down Al-Hilal approach

Saudi club Al-Hilal is said to have made an approach for Benfica center back Antonio Silva and the offer was a lucrative €45M to acquire the players services but the Portuguese center back declined to make the move to Saudi Arabia as he felt it is too early in his career to change continents.

The 21 year old is once again on teams radars, after a strong performance at the Club World Cup, which Benfica were just eliminated from in the round of 16 a few days ago. Benfica is open to listening to offers for Silva who looks to have regained his confidence this season but the player would also have to agree to the potential destination.

Silva has been with Benfica since an early age, having come up through the club's famous Seixal academy. He got his big break with the club during the 2022-23 season when Benfica where hit with a rash of injuries to their back line and has never looked back.

Silva has appeared in 140 games with Benfica across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing three helpers in those games. He was a key piece of Benfica's youth squad along with Tomas Araujo when they captured the 2021-22 UEFA Youth League title, snapping Benfica's run without a European trophy since the 60's. 

Benfica could still get Felix if they get creative

Benfica have not given up on their pursuit of Joao Felix but the club will need to get creative if they are going to land their former Seixal academy player to the squad for the upcoming season.

The current stumbling block of any move the club is to make for Felix is his current annual salary which stands at around €9M per season, way over what the club could handle for a full season.

Benfica has been linked with both a loan move and permanent move of Felix during this off season, but with the player signed until the summer of 2031. It would make sense that the club go the route of a loan spell with Chelsea.

Chelsea is a club that could use a stronger back line and Benfica have two players that have already been linked to the London club in center backs Tomas Araujo and Antonio Silva.

Could Benfica get Felix on a full season loan, with almost all expenses paid if they are to move one of their young center backs to the London side? 

Benfica value both defenders at around €30M to €40M euros but could look at making a sweeter deal with Chelsea if they where to cover at least 75% of Felix's contract for the upcoming season.

If Benfica where to move either defender to Chelsea, they could make the move for €25M and have a Felix loan as part of the deal, if they really want to push the button, they can look at a two year loan spell for Felix with 75% of his salary covered.

Benfica have hope for a reunion with Felix this summer but unless there is a creative way to make the move, the club may be best suited to look elsewhere to bolster their squad this summer. 

 

 

 

 

Benfica game plan against Chelsea goes by the wayside in exit

In a disappointing last 16 encounter for Benfica at the Club World Cup, Chelsea secured a 4-1 victory over 10-man Benfica after going into additional extra time in a match that lasted over four hours due to an almost two-hour weather delay. 

The game, played in hot and humid conditions at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, was a rollercoaster of drama, that featured a spectacular free kick, a controversial penalty, a red card and a late flurry of goals that propelled Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the tournament where they will face Palmeiras.

Chelsea dominated much of the match, thanks to a Benfica side that decided to sit back and try to repel their attack, but a lightning storm in the 86th minute disrupted the game, leading to a chaotic finish to regulation time and an extended extra-time period. Despite Benfica’s resilience and a late equalizer, going down to ten men just two minutes into additional time, sealed their fate. 

Chelsea controlled much of the possession of the first half and created the better chances with Marc Cucurella’s curling effort cleared off the line by Benfica defender Antonio Silva, followed by a  Cole Palmer powerful near post shot that was turned away by Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin and the game went into the half scoreless. Benfica, led by veterans Angel Di María and Nicolas Otamendi, relied on counter-attacks but struggled to penetrate Chelsea’s defense.

Reece James would break the deadlock with a stunning free kick from a tight angle at the 64 minute mark, curling the ball into the near post past a poorly positioned Trubin. The the lightning storm would sound arrive sending the players off the field and onto exercise bikes to stay active during the delay.

After the restart, Benfica capitalized on a VAR decision which clearly showed Malo Gusto with his arm in an abnormal position, awarding the club a penalty on a handball in the box. Angel Di María, in his final match for Benfica, calmly converted the penalty for his fourth goal of the tournament to level the score and take the game to additional time.

Early in extra time, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni received a second yellow card for a reckless challenge just outside the box, reducing Benfica to 10 men. This shifted the momentum firmly in Chelsea’s favour, who capitalized on their man advantage.

Christopher Nkunku restored Chelsea’s lead, in the second half of additional extra time capitalizing on a scruffy rebound after Trubin parried Moises Caicedo’s shot. A lucky bounce off of Nkunku as Otamendi slid and tried to clear the trickling ball from goal, saw the Chelsea attacker lift the ball over the downed defender.

Pedro Neto scored Chelsea’s third, racing clear down the right and curling a precise shot past Trubin after an exhausted Di Maria was dispossessed in midfield. This goal effectively sealed the match, with Neto continuing his fine form.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added gloss to the scoreline with a delicate chip over Trubin after a long ball from goalkeeper Robert Sánchez caught Benfica pressing for a goal. The goal highlighted Benfica’s exhaustion from sitting back all game in the torrid heat.

Bruno Lage's showed once again that he is not the coach for this club with his small team tactics. Benfica relied on a compact defensive structure and counter-attacks that were far and few in between. There lack of play development from the midfield was noticeable all game and they failed to take advantage of a fragile Chelsea back line.

The red card in additional time and fatigue that was griping the squad, lead to an additional extra time disaster and an exit from the Club World Cup at the round of 16 stage for the Lisbon club.

Benfica's failed usage of starting left back Alvaro Fernandez all game added many more questions of Lage's tactics and his insistence on using a very green and anxious 19 year old Prestianni over more seasoned players in Bruma and Tiago Gouveia proved costly to the club.

Benfica players will now get some time off before returning to camp to prepare for the Portuguese Super Cup on July 31 and the club's front office will need to shore what is a pressing need in the club's midfield if they are to have success in the upcoming season.