Did Benfica say Yes to the Super League?

According to Barcelona President Joao Laporta, Benfica is one of the clubs that is open to joining a newly created European Super League that will look to challenge UEFA's Champions League as the premier soccer club competition in Europe.

Laporta spoke to Spanish radio station RAC1 late last week and was optimistic that the Super League would get off the ground in the next year or two and named Benfica as one of three Portuguese clubs, with Sporting and FC Porto the others.

Benfica have not commented on Laporta's remarks at this time and it is unknown if they actually will. We can clearly see what could have Benfica interested in joining the breakaway league and that is money, loads and loads of money being promised to clubs by the league's organizers.

Will the Super League happen? That is a great question, but with only Barcelona and Real Madrid committing to the league, we are a long way from knowing what that answer might be.

Trubin's stay at Benfica could be short lived

Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin appeared on a You Tube podcast, where he was interviewed by blogger Povoroznyuk Dmytro and stated his desire to join the Premiership one day. 

Trubin was very complimentary of Benfica during the interview and has enjoyed his time with the club since joining this past summer. Trubin's agent added that he plans to keep an eye on the Premiership when the summer transfer window opens, fueling speculation that the keeper could be on the move sooner rather than later.

Trubin arrived in Lisbon from Shakhtar Donetsk for €10M and became the club's regular starter by Week 5 of the season. Benfica have cashed in on a variety of keepers over the years, with the likes of Jan Oblak and Ederson once donning the Eagles red jersey.

Benfica ins and outs during the winter transfer window

The winter transfer window in most of the world has now officially closed, but Portugal still has one day remaining in their window. A host of smaller leagues do remain open a bit longer, but the big name leagues have all officially closed their doors to player additions until the summer.

Benfica had a busy window, with a bunch of players arriving and departing during the window. Benfica's biggest addition during the winter window was the acquisition of striker Marcus Leonardo, who arrived from Santos and cost the club €18M. Their biggest subtraction was the departure of striker Petar Musa to FC Dallas for €10M up front, with some potential add-ons down the road.

Here is a look at the comings and goings for Benfica during the winter transfer window:

 

Arrivals:

Marcos Leonardo - €18M fee from Santos

Gianluca Prestianni - €9M fee from Velez Sarsfield

Benjamin Rollheiser - Loan with mandatory buy €9.5M from Estudiantes

Alvaro Fernandez - Loan from Manchester United

 

Departures:

Petar Musa - €10M fee to FC Dallas

Lucas Verissimo - €9M fee to Al-Duhail

Joao Victor - €6M fee to Vasco da Gama

Chiquinho - €1M fee to Olympiacos

Gabriel Pires - Free Transfer to Fluminense

David Jurasek - Loan to Hoffenheim

Goncalo Guedes - Loan ended by Wolverhampton