Rui Costa: “[Enzo] showed no commitment to Benfica. It’s not to beat on the chest when it matters”

Rui Costa has been highly critical of Enzo Fernandez’s handling of the negotiations between Benfica and Chelsea, saying the Argentine international midfielder, who ended up being sold to the Blues for €121m, did not show commitment to the Eagles’ project.

In an interview with BTV, the Orlov president suggested that he had done everything to prevent the sale of the young midfielder from happening. “Everything was done to prevent this sale from taking place. I am sad that he left, but with a clear conscience, and that I did my best for Benfica. We tried not to sell it in the middle of the year. But he showed a willingness not to stay. At first we were afraid that someone would bring the value of the item. Whenever Chelsea came up, he showed he didn’t want to stay. A salary increase was discussed, an offer was made. Half of Chelsea’s offer was unfeasible for us,” he said.

And he continued, “We never managed to contact him to convince him. Whenever Chelsea got close to the value of a point, there was almost no chance for them to change their mind. He very persistently wanted to leave Benfica. He was adamant. I respect the decision nonetheless. We showed him all the possibilities, but he never showed the openness to continue. We came up with a solution for him to stay until the end without losing a dime. At lunchtime on the 31st, I put an offer on the table at Chelsea buy it now and take it only in the summer. Even so, he was negative about staying. Everything changes here. no euro and does not want to stay. And this is what I changed. He did not show commitment to Benfica. Here I thought that he could no longer play for Benfica. As a fan, I didn’t want this player anymore, because the management is not the solution either, and I couldn’t enter the dressing room anymore. It’s not a punch to the chest when it matters. sale decision.

Message for training players on the example of Enzo
“Everyone treated Enzo well from the moment he arrived until he left. I was hoping Enzo would enjoy the fight for the title. When it became quite clear that he wasn’t committed, I didn’t want him to wear a Benfica shirt anymore. We need a team dedicated to the fans. Even though the players knew what was going on, they gave everything in Aroka. It is this commitment that I want in all areas. We’ve lost a great player, yes, but we’re not going to mourn a player who doesn’t want to be at Benfica. Our path lies forward, not backward. I grew up in this club, which taught me to respect the Benfica shirt. I respect Enzo, but his choice was not to stay. We only want players who want to respect Benfica. There will only be players here, this also applies to the youth team, there will only be players who are proud to represent the Benfica shirt.

Commissions paid on Enzo’s move to Chelsea
“Payment is made in installments. In addition to 120 million euros, we demand an amount of 5 million euros. You cannot attract a player who has a lot of market without giving the agent a mandate to sell. You cannot receive a similar transaction without this. . These ten percent must be paid. This applies not only to Benfica, this is a global situation. In this deal, we reduced that amount by 3.5 percent. It’s impossible to bypass it. When we look for Enzo of life, no agent agrees that it is guaranteed because he has the guarantees of all other clubs. This is not Benfica, this is world football and he is the first to object to me about players of this magnitude. When you acquire a player, you also don’t sign a contract without an agent signing.”