Missed Opportunity: Benito Raman Reveals Potential Move to KAA Gent During Winter Transfer Period

Benito Raman left RSC Anderlecht during the winter mercato to work in Turkey. But he could actually also work at KAA Gent.

Benito Raman signed for Samsunspor on the last day of the winter transfer period in Turkey. Although he could also have gone for a different deal in the Jupiler Pro League, he tells Het Nieuwsblad.

“The worst part is that I was apparently able to go to AA Gent on the last day of the Belgian winter mercato, but I only heard afterwards how serious that option was,” he said.

“A return to Ghent: that was a dream. At first Michel Louwagie was not enthusiastic about my arrival, but when they sold Hugo Cuypers and they were short of strikers, he changed his mind. Anderlecht was not convinced because there was a certain manager in between.”

Agreement with KAA Gent on the final day of the transfer period

That might well have been Mogi Bayat. “I suspect so, yes. It was only a deal for six months until my contract with Anderlecht ended. Everything was complex, but on the final day of the transfer market there was apparently an agreement.”

But Raman was kept in the dark about that possible deal. “But no one told me that and I was eventually guided to Turkey. Maybe because Anderlecht would then be completely freed from my contract? If I had known, I would certainly have pushed for Ghent. I have been lied to a lot. At that moment I could no longer work with Anderlecht.”

Raman doesn’t like how everything turned out. He can take a beating, but these were games that were played with him. “I myself also thought about terminating my contract with Anderlecht. Just to be contrary. Maybe we would still become champions and there would also be a champion’s bonus to earn. But in the long run the situation was no longer sustainable.”