Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris was reportedly pretty much wanted in the summer, when Everton, Newcastle United and West Brom would all be keen on signing him.
The Magpies apparently never got close on finding a fee to sign the player, but the most serious report was really about the Baggies, who only didn’t get the midfielder because Benfica decided to back off.
The reason to call off the €20m transfer was because Ljubomir Fejsa, Rui Vitória’s first option for the position, constantly suffers with injuries. So the Eagles decided to keep Samaris to have him as a second option in case anything goes wrong.
But well, it seems it wasn’t necessary. Since Fejsa’s muscular injury during the transfer window, he has recovered pretty well, starting 12 games already.
Samaris, on the other hand, is having a hard time making appearances. He’s only played 167 league minutes so far, around a fifth of Fejsa’s time.
It clearly means he hasn’t been very necessary, also because Filipe Augusto has been the first option from the bench, making Samaris the reserve of the reserve.
So in case West Brom are still keen on him, that’s definitely a possible transfer, as long as they make the right bid to convince Benfica. If the Eagles were demanding €20m in the summer, it shouldn’t be much different now.
