Fernandes

[jofanon]

If the boy is that good why is being loaned out and touted for being sold?

 

This is the 2nd year he is being loaned and might be coming to us for another year.

 

We wouldn't loan Arteta out!

 

Benfica are a big club they won't be desperate for the money.

[CraccerC]

random

 

he's being loaned as as he's had problems with the benfica board and wants a move to a better league, ideally england.

 

we wouldn't loan arteta, you're right, but we'd have no reason to considering he's happy

Edited May 20, 2007 by CraccerC

[FairWooney]

while benfica aren't exactly a selling club and are big in their country their certainly not rich.

 

if you remember when morinhio won the champions league with them they hadn't spent a lot of money to create their squad and won by the way they played which is why he was known as such a good manager.

 

I don't know why he's loaned out or possibly going to be sold though!

[MikeO]

if you remember when morinhio won the champions league with them they hadn't spent a lot of money to create their squad and won by the way they played which is why he was known as such a good manager.

 

That was with Porto....but it's still a valid point.

[Pat]

I did ask this very Q earlier.

 

And was Led to believe Benfica are scrapping the barrell & must sell to buy etc.

 

But who knows, Maybe it's to do with those dodgey Iranians -> Kia & friends ?

[zequist]

Dunno if that would be it. They're much more relaxed about third-party owners in Portugal than they are in the EPL.

 

Maybe they're willing to sell simply because they have a deep enough pool of midfielders that they can afford to part with him and use the money to shore up other areas. They do have four national team midfielders on their squad already, and at some point it stops making sense to pay market value to someone who's unlikely to crack the starting lineup anytime soon. Here's their midfield roster right now, with my best guess as to the order of depth. Just the ones they kept on the roster this year, not any that they loaned out.

 

6 Petit (Portuguese int'l, WC 06/Euro 08)

20 Simao (Portuguese int'l, WC 06/Euro 08)

8 Kostas Katsouranis (Greek int'l, WC 06/Euro 08)

26 Giorgios Karagounis (Greek int'l, WC 06/Euro 08)

10 Rui Costa (getting up there in years, but was once of course one of the all-time greats)

25 Nuno Assis

15 Paulo Jorge

28 Joao Coimbra (Portuguese U-21 team member, has 22 caps and 7 goals for them)

18 Manu (younger player with potential who can play wing or forward)

16 Beto

7 Marco Ferreira

[xavier]

Benfica are a selling club just like every Portuguese club out there.

[xsaint]

Is EVERTONFC a buying club who can afford him now? If not, then no point arguing so much in here!

[fcssl]

I'm never sure of the truth in media stories, but I read that he had a large clash with the board and management at Benfica. I don't see that this would be much of a problem with Moyes though, as he is pretty firm handed when players step out of line.

 

I would like to think we can keep hold of him, however not at that asking price...which is probably the stumbling block...