28 August 2007, by Marco Pereira

Benfica snap up South American trio

Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodriguez and Edcarlos signed

Benfica will soon have at least three new faces in their line-up as the club welcome Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodriguez and Edcarlos into the fold.

The Eagles may not be finished there as they are also in the market for another striker before the end of the transfer deadline at midnight on Friday.

The signings of Uruguayan midfielders Maxi and Rodriguez were formally announced by the club yesterday, with the former putting pen to paper on a five-year deal, while the latter is joining on a year-long loan with an option to buy. As for Edcarlos, the Brazilian centre-back is expected to complete his move in the next 24 hours.

Maxi is thrilled to have joined the Lisbon club, saying: “Benfica are a very big club and it is a dream to be here,” while compatriot Rodriguez echoed the sentiments stating, “Benfica are a huge club and I know that they play in front of 60 000 fans every game.”

Edcarlos is also looking forward to a new step in his career, saying: “Today, Benfica are seen as a big club in Europe and because of this, my dream is to play with such a big club as this one. There is little left to sort out regarding the transfer in order for everyone to be happy.”

Injury crisis

Edcarlos will be a welcome addition to Benfica, who are in the midst of a defensive injury crisis, with David Luiz and Marco Zoro out injured, and Luisao and Katsouranis not yet 100% fit.

New coach Camacho says he would like to bring in another striker before the end of the transfer deadline, but recognised it may be difficult to get the right man. “We want one more player. It has to be a striker who scores a lot of goals. That is not easy to find.”

Whether or not Benfica decide to splash out on a top marksman could well depend on qualification for the Champions League. The Eagles take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of their qualifying tie against FC Copenhagen tomorrow.