Erdal Rakip has now been presented at Crystal Palace, where he will stay until the end of the season, with no chance to move somewhere else. But his story still sounds a little bit confusing when he speaks about his move.
At the end of the year, the Swedish player chose not to renew his contract with Malmo because of the many calls he had from other clubs, including Benfica.
He expected a lot from the move to Portugal, but after signing a contract, was told he would be actually loaned out first, and surprisingly moved to a better league by joining Crystal Palace until the end of the season.
There wasn’t even time for him to speak to the Portuguese press before going to England, so in an interview talking about the move to Crystal Palace today, most questions are about… Benfica. And with all the quotes mixed, it’s always good to read the about move’s background so you can understand what’s going on.
“When I arrived, I was expecting to be able to help Benfica immediately,” Rakip told Record.
“The club and I understood that it’s better to continue my career elsewhere and there’s nothing better than the Premier League. Crystal Palace have shown that they wanted me very much.
“I had several invitations, but I chose Benfica, for the project presented, since the club is a world reference. The fact that Lindelof triumphed here helped me choose.
“My expectation for this period is to be able to help Crystal Palace and manager Roy Hodgson, who is a great reference in Sweden.”
Just like A Bola did yesterday, Record now confirms Palace indeed have a buying option for the player. They can get the midfielder for €10m at the end of the season.
So despite all these quotes about choosing Benfica, Rakip may end up not even playing for the Lisbon side in the end.
