Marco Silva works behind the scenes at Benfica, blocks midfielder exit | OneFootball

There has been a significant change in the Georgiy Sudakov dossier at Benfica. While, at first, the Ukrainian midfielder was seen as a player José Mourinho was willing to negotiate, the arrival of Marco Silva could completely change that scenario. The Portuguese coach sees the player as a potentially key piece for next season.

Sudakov was used by José Mourinho both as a number 10 and from the left side of the attack, but he ultimately failed to establish himself consistently, sometimes falling behind other direct competitors. In his first season at Benfica, the attacking midfielder played 36 matches, recording four goals and seven assists.

Signed for 27 million euros in the summer of 2025, in one of the club’s biggest investments, the Ukrainian international could see his total transfer value rise to 38 million if sporting targets are met, although the current idea is to keep the youngster, according to CNN Portugal.

For now, the intention of the club’s hierarchy is to keep the core of the squad available to the new coaching staff until the official start of the season. The goal is to allow Marco Silva, who is increasingly close to taking charge of Benfica, to carefully assess the existing resources before final decisions are made regarding possible departures.

Although the club is monitoring the development of young players such as Gonçalo Oliveira, Joshua Wynder and João Fonseca, the intention is to secure an experienced centre-back on the market, preferably left-footed, capable of taking on an immediate role in the first team.

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