Nélson Feiteirona names Benfica's top signing for 2026/27... not Palhinha | OneFootball

Nélson Feiteirona analyzed current events in his opinion space "The Ball Is Round," putting forward a surprising thesis about the makeup of the team. According to the published analysis, Benfica’s biggest signing for 2026/27 is not João Palhinha, but rather Marco Silva.

"There is no doubt that there have been key signings—such as midfielder João Palhinha—and that some players are performing far better than in the past, which brings us to the SAD’s most important signing for 2026/27: the coach. It is no coincidence that the team is performing, seems hungry for results, and that the same players from last season appear to be better," he wrote.

Continuing his argument, the journalist explained the squad management and the plan implemented by the 49-year-old coach. "Looking at the most recent matches, Marco Silva has systematically fielded a starting eleven featuring only two new signings—midfielder Palhinha—praised by Sérgio Krithinas—and center-back Clément Lenglet. The others have carried over and have been delivering performances that have, in fact, in some way delayed the arrival on the scene of some new players and others who returned later after taking part in the World Cup. And that says something very important," he analyzed.

Nélson Feiteirona expanded on his analysis of the team’s mentality and compared it with previous coaching choices that passed through the Luz. "Football projects and teams—just like the transfer plan—only make sense, or at least in theory only work, when there is a very clear idea of what is intended. Marco Silva conveys that: in the way he has acted and communicated since arriving at the Club, in the players he approved as signings, in the definition of a preferred tactical setup that he is consolidating, in an idea of play and an attacking mentality," he stressed.

To conclude his reflection, the journalist summed up his confidence in the path mapped out by Benfica’s coaching staff. Nélson Feiteirona ended his article with a clarifying note about the coach’s approach. "This does not mean that Benfica is a bed of roses or that Marco Silva is the best of them all; it only means that Benfica’s coach has brought people together, pointed the way, and has been taking steady steps, with his boots on the grass and his eyes on the future. When you start from a solid and transparent foundation, everything seems easier. After that, it will be football and the particularities of Portuguese football. But what matters is that there are no doubts, and Marco Silva either has none or seems to have very few," he concluded.

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