Luís Pedro Sousa is clear: “Benfica trail Porto and Sporting…” | OneFootball

Benfica began preparations for the 2026/27 season with a rather unusual reality: so far, the only confirmed signing for the new season is the arrival of Marco Silva as the team’s head coach. The manager already knows that, during the start of pre-season, he will be unable to count on several internationals involved in the World Cup, which should force a heavy reliance on academy players and deeper squad management.

Benfica are at a disadvantage compared to their main rivals, Porto and Sporting, who have already stepped up their transfer planning. The commentator also stresses that this disadvantage is explained not only by the internal reorganization, but also by the lack of completed signings so far.

“Marco Silva promised a dominant, attacking Benfica, a winning Benfica. That’s what he promised. In domestic competitions, at the very least, they will have to be dominant and attacking; we’ll see whether they will be winners. Because Benfica are heading into the new season at something of a disadvantage,” he said.

While Benfica have yet to announce any signings, Porto and Sporting have already strengthened their respective squads. The Dragons secured André Silva and João Afonso, while the Lions sealed the arrivals of Silas Andersen, Rodrigo Zalazar, Pedro Lima and Issa Doumbia, taking a more aggressive approach to the market. According to Luís Pedro Sousa, Porto have opted for “surgical signings,” while Sporting have practically finalized their squad at a very early stage of the summer break.

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