Before the end of the January transfer window, Benfica manager Bruno Lage gave his word to the Portuguese press, saying he’d comment on transfers as soon as the month was over.
On Monday, he gave a press conference ahead of the cup game against Famalicão, and the local journalists obviously asked him fulfil his promise and reveal a few names who the club had been following.
It turns out Lukasz Fabianski from West Ham was one of them.
Bruno Lage had previously given a clue saying Benfica were after a player who had been elected as the best of his league, and when asked to reveal his name, he talked about the Hammers’ goalkeeper.
“It was goalkeeper Fabianski… That’s what we’ve been considering, the criterion of looking at the great players. And, apart from injuries, he’s been one of the best in his league and in his team. The fans need to understand that it’s these targets that we look at and that was a situation that was over in September,” said Bruno Lage (via O Jogo).
“But, I insist , Vlachodimos’ competence was never called into question, because we knew we had an excellent goalkeeper to which I notice his evolution. We wanted to bring in another player to increase the competitive level.”
Coincidentally, this isn’t the first time Fabianski’s name is mentioned by a manager to the foreign press this week. On Monday, Manuel Pellegrini has spoken to the Chilean press, claiming he was only sacked from West Ham in December because the goalkeeper got injured and his reserve couldn’t keep the same level.
Given all of that, Benfica’s chances of signing the player have always been very slim.
