Benfica regular once heavily criticised, now impresses Marco Silva | OneFootball

Vangelis Pavlidis once again showed that he remains in excellent form at Benfica. After finishing the last two seasons as the Eagles’ top scorer, with 30 goals in each, the Greek forward has already opened his account for the new campaign by scoring twice in the 5-2 win over Estrela da Amadora, in a behind-closed-doors friendly played in Seixal.

The Greek international’s influence goes far beyond goals. Since taking charge of the Eagles, Marco Silva has identified Pavlidis as one of the key pieces in the squad and, over the first few weeks of work, the number 9 has fully justified the coach’s faith in him.

Despite strong interest from Besiktas in this summer transfer window, Benfica have no intention of letting the striker go. The Turkish club had even prepared an offer in the region of €40 million, a significant amount that could help the Eagles balance the books before the transfer window closes. Even so, the structure led by Rui Costa sees Pavlidis as a cornerstone of the sporting project and does not intend to negotiate the player.

The club’s stance is shared by Marco Silva, who sees the 27-year-old forward as an irreplaceable figure in the current squad. The Portuguese coach values not only his finishing efficiency, but also his tactical intelligence, competitive experience and ability to read the different phases of the game—qualities he considers difficult to find in another player available to the group.

With pre-season under way, Benfica are now focused on preparing as well as possible for the tie against St. Gallen in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. For Marco Silva, Pavlidis will continue to play a central role in the Eagles’ ambitions for the new season, both in domestic competitions and in their European campaign.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.