Transfers windows haven’t been kind to Benfica recently and there were no exceptions this winter window with the departure of the influential Argentine Enzo Perez, who left the club to join rejuvenated Valencia in Spain for €25 million. The Portuguese League Player of the Year was joined by highly rated Portuguese youngster, Bernardo Silva on the way out of Lisbon as his loan deal with resurrected French side Monaco was made permanent for €15,75 million. On the other hand, there were some additions to the Benfica side, the more notable being Jonathan Rodríguez who joined the Portuguese giants on a two-year loan deal following controversies. Continue reading
olympiakos
Vitor Pereira on his way to Olympiakos
Two-time Portuguese league champion and former free agent Vitor Pereira has reached an agreement with the Greek powerhouse. Formerly at the helm of Saudi club Al-Ahli, and more famously FC Porto, the much coveted tactician is set to sign the dotted line this Wednesday for Greek Champions Olympiakos Piraeus after reports linking him with the Crystal Palace job. Continue reading
Paulo Machado Moves to Croatia
Paulo Machado
Olympiakos to Dinamo Zagreb
(4.5 million euros)
For a fee of around 4.5 million, Paulo Machado is swapping Greece for Croatia. According to multiple reports, the Portuguese midfielder has signed for Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, where he will join fellow compatriots Ruben Lima and Ivo Pinto. Machado joined Olympiakos in 2012, and has enjoyed success at the Greek Club, twice winning the Greek SuperLeague title. In and out of the national team setup, it will be interesting to see how this move affects Machado’s playing time for the Seleccao. My first thought is that it will do more harm than good.
Paulo Machado Makes Greek Switch
Paulo Machado – Toulouse to Olympiakos
Portuguese midfielder Paulo Machado has made the move from Ligue 1 side Toulouse to Greek SuperLeague side Olympiakos. Machado has been an integral part of the French team ever since he joined them from Porto in 2009. His performances have been solid enough to merit multiple call-ups by Paulo Bento to the Seleccao. He has gone on to make four appearances for the team. News coming out of Portugal suggest that the move was worth 2.7 million pounds, which is a steal for an international-caliber midfielder. Machado will be wearing the number 5, and will certainly become an integral part of Leonardo Jardim’s team, as they participate in the Champions League this season.
