Remember Weigl? Benfica flop set to earn a fortune | OneFootball

It’s official. Julian Weigl is the new signing for Al Qadisah. Recall that the player played for Benfica between 2020 and 2022, and is now making a permanent move to Saudi Arabia for 8 million euros, an amount that will go directly to the coffers of Borussia Monchengladbach.

The 29-year-old German midfielder will thus experience his first professional stint outside Europe, having signed a two-year contract with the Middle Eastern club, where he arrives to fill the gap left by the departure of Ezequiel Fernández. The international also has the option in his contract to play a third season for Al Qadisah.

Julian Weigl had been at Borussia Monchengladbach for three seasons and had even requested to step down as the club’s vice-captain at the start of this season, as confirmed by the German club’s sporting director, Roland Virkus.

Before Al Qadisah, there were rumors of another Saudi Arabian club interested in the player. Al-Shabab was reportedly willing to pay between 10 and 15 million euros to secure the midfielder’s services, but he ended up leaving Borussia Monchengladbach for a lower amount.

Recall that the player joined Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2022, on loan from Benfica, with a purchase option set at 7.17 million euros. The German club activated this clause, allowing the Eagles to recover a good part of the significant 20M€ investment they had made in the player, which at the time was one of the most expensive transfers in the club’s history.

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