Miguel Costa: Tomás Araújo is a centre-back who breaks the mould | OneFootball

Miguel Costa, the former Benfica scout who first spotted Tomás Araújo, has no doubts the centre-back could anchor the club’s defence. If Nicolás Otamendi leaves this summer, Araújo will be the new leader from next season.

Costa identified him at Operário de Famalicão and took him for trials at Seixal at 13. “He was kept under observation at Benfica, but they decided to wait another year so he could mature for the next step. I believed in him a lot and even helped Tomás’s father find an 11-a-side environment to develop, especially tactically,” he told Record.

Before arriving at the Benfica Campus, Araújo played for smaller clubs including Palmeiras, a kind of Braga satellite. “His prominence in the national championship was huge, and he fulfilled the plan by moving to Benfica,” Costa said.

“He had a more inconsistent phase on reaching Benfica’s first team, then he was loaned to Gil Vicente. It did him good, he kept evolving, settled in senior football and established himself in Benfica’s first team, becoming a protagonist,” he added.

“Portugal is producing fewer centre-backs and Tomás Araújo clearly breaks the mould. In essence he follows the Otamendi line, a very fast centre-back who links defence and attack with strong technique,” Costa said.

Source: Glorioso 1904