‘s Richard Ríos was a target for Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window, but the midfielder chose to move from Brazil to Benfica instead.
Nottingham Forest were the Premier League club at the forefront of interest, but it was Lisbon which tempted Ríos most.
His arrival in Lisbon was surrounded by high expectations. That was especially due to the fee involved.
Perhaps inevitably, he’s quickly found himself under scrutiny.
The 25-year-old midfielder was directly involved in Chelsea’s winning goal in the Champions League this week. That’s something that led José Mourinho to criticise him publicly after the match.
“I’m starting to understand him better”
As covered by Record, the Benfica manager made it clear he is still trying to figure out how best to use the Colombian. “Ríos had the misfortune of being involved in the goal, but I am starting to understand him better. When he drops deep, he doesn’t have much quality in short spaces. He needs space to play.
“Hea player who arrives well, recovers the ball a lot. He is been criticised a little because of the transfer fee, but he’s doing well,” said Mourinho.
The coach suggested Ríos has been judged harshly by fans and the media because of the €27m investment. However, he did admit the midfielder’s profile does not suit every scenario.
Mourinho stressed the player performs better when given more room to cover ground. He’s less effective when forced to operate in tighter areas.
Despite those limitations, Mourinho underlined that Ríos did contribute with energy and ball recoveries against Chelsea.
He also reminded that Benfica’s midfield had to play most of the match on yellow cards, something that made their task even more complicated at Stamford Bridge. Still, the slip that led to the only goal of the game meant Ríos was inevitably singled out.
Nottingham Forest’s interest is still mentioned and seen as something of a badge of approval.
