Newcastle United’s signing of Amar Dedic has left Benfica losing a player they genuinely wanted to keep.
That’s according to former Fulham manager Marco Silva, who is now in charge of Benfica. He has again discussed the defender following his €35m (£30.3m) move to St James’ Park.
This time, Silva was keen to make something particularly clear. When he previously said “we” didn’t want Dedic to leave, he really did mean Benfica as a whole.
“We didn’t want to lose Dedic – not just me,” Silva said, speaking to A Bola ahead of Thursday’s Europa League qualifier against Aarhus.
“There are people who complicate things. It seems that sometimes ‘we’ is different from ‘I’.”
Again, those comments come after Silva had already admitted before the transfer was completed that Dedic was someone Benfica didn’t want to lose.
At the time, the manager acknowledged financial considerations were for the club’s hierarchy to handle. Truth is it has not been easy for him out there.
But Newcastle then completed the signing, paying €35m (£30.3m) for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international.
Silva makes Benfica position clear
Silva’s latest comments make it even clearer that Benfica’s willingness to accept that money shouldn’t be confused with them wanting to move the player on.
Dedic was considered an important part of the squad. But the financial side of the deal ultimately took the decision beyond Silva’s remit.
“The financial part isn’t something I have to comment on,” he said. “It wasn’t only Dedic who left. In the defensive line, more players have left,” Silva explained.
“In other positions further forward, where it would have been fundamental not to lose players, it’s true that nobody has left.”
For Newcastle United, though, Dedic’s situation is already settled. The Magpies have taken a player Benfica’s manager wanted to keep. Additionally, Silva has now gone out of his way to stress that the feeling extended beyond himself to the club as a whole.
