"I dont want to be at Benfica" ( Diego Souza)

According to "a Bola" Diego Souza told a Brazilian radio station that his main objective is not to stay at Benfica. Benfica has refused Gremio's 3mm offer(apparently it was 3mm + Jhonatan not 3.5mm) and will not entertain any offers below 4mm. The player claims that there are other Brazilian clubs interested and would give any of those clubs preference over Benfica.


There are a lot of Benfica fans that would love to see Diego Souza back in a Benfica jersey, that seems highly unlikely now. I always thought that if Benfica wanted the player back they would have made a formal anouncement in the past couple of days, right after the December 31st deadline.
Souza had a very short stay at Benfica, getting very little playing time and falling victim to, what some may say, as an internal conflict between directors of the club. Diego was loaned out to Flamengo in 06 and then to Gremio, where he "blew up", becoming one of the best players of the Brazilian league. His performances have earned him a call up to Brazil's Olympic team who will be in China this Summer.
Ever since the player was sent out on loan, the player showed no interest in returning to Benfica. He felt that he was treated unfairly by the club and was always very public in his claims of not wanting to return to Portugal. A couple of days ago i read that he was actually interested in returning. It was the first time i heard interest in returning from Diego Souza.
There is no doubt that Diego Souza is talented, he is only 22 years old and has matured a great deal. There is no doubt in my mind, Diego could be a great addition to Benfica's squad, but after reading the article in "a bola", i have become disenchanted with Souza. Benfica should only want players who would be honored to wear the Benfica jersey.
So, if Benfica didn't have much interest in bringing back Diego Souza, which seems obvious, after this interview it is clear on where both parties stand.
Could Diego's statements been avoided? - Absolutely. If Benfica had shown the player that they were interested in bringing him back, or even some type of assurance that this time around it would be different, the player would have certainly bit his tongue and could be packing for Lisbon right now.
It seems to me that Benfica is counting on the money from the sale of Diego to go shopping themselves. Right now there is no other player that is not part of the current squad that is worth more than 4mm. That is the only conclusion i can make.
Benfica has been more than notorious for having players under contract and letting them go, with those players later becoming great players, Deco being the most obvious one.
There is no doubt in my mind that this situation is a similar situation, Diego is only 22 and his progression margin still has quite a ways to go. Benfica is selling the player for 4mm, but i bet that he will be worth double after the summer olympics.
Seems like another LFV mistake in the making.


From "A Bola"
Link to article


«Não quero ficar no Benfica» (Diego Souza)
Terminado o período de preferência para o Grémio na contratação de Diego Souza, o jogador lembra que há outros clubes brasileiros interessados e que «o principal é não ficar no Benfica».



O Grémio, clube onde Diego Souza alinhou na última temporada, tinha direito de preferência pelo jogador brasileiro até 31 de Dezembro passado, mas passou o prazo sem que conseguisse apresentar uma proposta convincente para os «encarnados».O clube de Porto Alegre fez uma proposta de três milhões de euros, mas o Benfica não negocia abaixo dos quatro milhões.«Agora, fico a aguardar para ver o que vai acontecer. Por enquanto, não está nada definido», explicou o jogador, em entrevista à Rádio Bandeirantes.O director de futebol do Grémio, Paulo Pelaipe, alertou que o Palmeiras entrou forte na luta pelo jogador e tornou-se o grande concorrente na aquisição de Diego Souza. A oferta da formação de São Paulo chegaria aos 3,3 milhões de euros.«Grémio, Palmeiras e São Paulo são grandes equipas. Jogaria em qualquer um deles sem problemas», despistou Diego Souza. «O principal é que não quero mesmo ficar no Benfica», emendou.