Sporting new boy at Alvalade after Marco Silva snubbed him at Benfica | OneFootball

Moncef Zekri only ended up at Alvalade because Marco Silva did not want him in Benfica’s squad for this season. The young player had previously been offered to Benfica’s structure by Mechelen. The Club of Light chose not to respond to the proposal presented, allowing the footballer to move to their capital rival.

The defender ultimately became the solution found by the green-and-white team to fill the vacancy on the left side of the defense. The young full-back, only 17 years old, arrived from Mechelen to take the place left vacant by Ricardo Mangas.

Sporting’s new player only ended up at Alvalade because Marco Silva was not interested. The board led by Rui Costa analyzed the player’s profile but decided not to move forward with his signing. Benfica’s officials preferred to focus on more mature options for the demands of the first team, which ultimately brought in his compatriot El Karouani.

On the other side of the Segunda Circular rivalry, the Moroccan’s arrival came in the context of a fallback signing after several failed attempts. The green-and-white club faced successive rejections from its first three options to strengthen the defensive position. Zekri ended up being Sporting’s fourth choice at the close of the transfer window.

Benfica’s structure remained attentive to the best market opportunities to strengthen the squad with guaranteed quality. The Glorious One is prioritizing the signing of footballers capable of making the difference in domestic competitions.

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