Replacing the coach “is out of the question” because José Mourinho “is an excellent coach and has already proven that”, confirmed this Friday the president of Benfica, praising the work of the Luz emblem’s technical team.
Regarding Rafa Silva’s return to Benfica, Rui Costa guaranteed that the striker “never forced any departure” and that it is an “added value” to count on his contribution again.
“I still have my values and I know how to represent Benfica and its values. We would never have hired Rafa if we understood that he had behaved badly”, he confirmed.
The Benfica director recalled that, before the last year of his contract, there was talk of the possibility of Rafa leaving for a million-dollar proposal, which the player himself, in accordance with the wishes of Benfica’s management, decided to refuse.
“At the time we understood that the funds on the table did not compensate for leaving and Rafa had exemplary behavior with Benfica, to the point that, in the last season he played, he was the best in terms of numbers”, he reinforced.
The former Besiktas, away from the Turkish squad since the beginning of November, signed for the Reds until 2028, for five million euros, and is ready to start playing, confirmed the manager.
“He is very welcome at home. He is a player who was always decisive in the eight years he represented Benfica. He returns home with the same spirit.”
The player is a confirmed absence in the decisive match for the Champions League against Real Madrid and will only be part of Benfica’s squad for European competitions if the Red team advances in the competition.
Rafa could, however, have arrived before the eliminations of the League Cup and the Portuguese Cup in the same week, if the “values on the table” had corresponded to Benfica’s interests, explained Rui Costa.
At the door of the Justice Campus, where the president of the Eagles was present during the ‘blue bag’ trial, Rui Costa also spoke about Benfica’s current “negative moment”, but guaranteed not to give up fighting for the championship “until the last second”.
“It’s not a positive moment. The Champions League is as it is and the championship is not as we wanted. We didn’t want to be in this position, obviously, but we have a season to face and we’re going to play it with all our determination. We still have a lot to resolve”, he concluded.
As for further changes to the squad, the Eagles’ management continues to evaluate possible entries, which also depend on the return of some injured players.
This Sunday, Benfica faces Estrela da Amadora at Estádio da Luz, before hosting Real Madrid for the final round of the Champions League league stage, which they are obliged to win if they want to progress to the play-offs to reach the round of 16.
