Breaking news! Before Estoril–Benfica, Otamendi tells Mourinho his future | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi is hours away from bringing his spell with Benfica to an end. The club captain has informed José Mourinho of his decision not to renew his contract and is preparing to play this Saturday, against Estoril, at Amoreira, his final match in the Eagles shirt.

According to the newspaper A Bola,. The move represents the fulfilment of a long-held wish of the centre-back, who has never hidden his emotional connection to the Buenos Aires club.

Otamendi leaves the Luz after several seasons of enormous influence on and off the pitch. Since arriving at Benfica from Manchester City, the defender has made 280 official appearances, virtually all of them as a starter, as well as recording 18 goals and eight assists in service of the Reds.

The captain also won four titles with Benfica, including one league title, as well as two Cândido de Oliveira Super Cups and one League Cup. His leadership, competitiveness and experience made him one of the main figures in Benfica’s dressing room in recent years.

Otamendi’s departure now forces the SAD led by Rui Costa to look for a solution in central defence. José Mourinho recently admitted the Argentine’s importance within the group and acknowledged that Benfica will have to go into the market to find a replacement capable of offsetting the loss of one of the squad’s biggest figures.

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