Centre-back shortage opens door for Benfica defender set to leave | OneFootball

The shortage of centre-backs at the start of pre-season could open up space for Joshua Wynder in Benfica’s squad. With Tomás Araújo absent due to his participation in the Club World Cup and Gonçalo Oliveira sold, Marco Silva begins work at Benfica Campus with only António Silva available from the first team as an option for the heart of the defence.

The situation is forcing the club’s hierarchy to speed up decisions in the market, with the SAD led by Rui Costa working on the signing of two centre-backs, one younger and one more experienced, also to make up for the departure of Nicolás Otamendi, who moved to River Plate. The information was reported by Record.

While reinforcements have yet to arrive, Joshua Wynder has emerged as an internal solution under evaluation, looking to take advantage of the situation to convince Marco Silva that he can be part of the Eagles’ first-team options for the season.

At 21, the centre-back made his debut in the 2024/25 season against Tirsense, in the first leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, in an opportunity given to him by Bruno Lage. Since then, that ended up being his only appearance for the first team. Last season, the defensive unit was shaped by a rotation managed between Otamendi, António Silva and Tomás Araújo, a trio that provided most of the solutions in central defence.

When that rotation became limited, José Mourinho even turned to makeshift solutions, such as using Enzo Barrenechea as a centre-back, on one occasion against Vitória SC at the Luz in a league match. With the start of the new season, Wynder is now trying to take advantage of this uncertain context to earn space and establish himself as a viable alternative in Benfica’s squad.

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