Kaminski arrival causes major blunder inside Benfica set-up | OneFootball

The signing of Jakub Kaminski continues to spark debate behind the scenes at Benfica. The Polish winger’s quiet start is increasing the pressure on Patrick Dippel, the man in charge of the Eagles’ scouting department, since the Polish international was the German’s first major signing after taking up the role.

Rui Costa introduced changes to Benfica’s scouting structure in December 2025, following several signings who failed to establish themselves in the first team. The appointment of the official had already been promised by the president during the election campaign, only becoming a reality months later.

A specialist in artificial intelligence and data analysis applied to scouting, Dippel built his reputation in German football, having worked for the German Football Association, as well as gaining experience at clubs such as Bayern Munich and Hamburg. Even so, his lack of experience in football outside the German-speaking region, and particularly in the Portuguese context, reportedly caused some surprise among figures linked to Benfica’s governing bodies.

According to Correio da Manhã, Jakub Kaminski was the first signing strongly recommended by Dippel. The German official’s good relationship with Cologne’s executives is said to have helped provide in-depth knowledge of the player and boosted Benfica’s decision to move for him.

However, the 23-year-old winger’s start has fallen short of expectations. After unconvincing displays in the warm-up matches, Kaminski disappointed again in the 2-1 defeat to St. Gallen in the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round.

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