Benfica snap up Romanian starlet

Highly rated left-back dumbstruck with Benfica’s facilities

Benfica have dabbled in the transfer market snapping up left-back Lazlo Sepsi from Gloria Bistrita.

The 21-year-old Romanian has signed for five and a half seasons with the Eagles and is estimated to have cost the club in the region of two and half million euros.

The U21 full back is expected to replace Leo as Benfica appear to be ready to offload the diminutive Brazilian rather than bow to the player’s demands for a contract extension.

The fact the club have yet to renew with the popular Leo has angered many Benfica supporters as some feel that the Brazilian international is one of the best, if not the best, player in his position in Portugal.

But young Romanian Sepsi will not let that bother him and is ecstatic to have joined the Portuguese giants. “At 21 years of age, the best thing that could have happened to me was to arrive at a huge club like Benfica,” said Sepsi.

“Amazing club”

“I am amazed with what I have encountered here at the Estadio da Luz and what I can say is Benfica are from another world. This is incredible! I did not expect that them to be so big.

“I will need some time to recover physically because in Romania the championship is on a break. I will try to reach the level of others as quickly as possible.

“I am a hard player, but in the good sense. I do not make way for the adversary and I never give up fighting for possession of the ball, but always in a proper way, cleanly. I can play various positions and I am good technically.”

Time will tell if Benfica have purchased a gem from underneath the noses of Europe’s giants, with the club’s brass admitting they have been tracking Sepsi closely, having attended 10 matches this season to evaluate the player.

Diego Souza sold

In other club news, Benfica have finally got rid of want-away midfielder Diego Souza. The Brazilian midfielder will be transferred to Palmeiras for 3.7m euros.

The Eagles have also announced they will be loaning out winger Marco Ferreira to city rivals Belenenses until the end of the season.

The former Porto and Setubal player is contracted to Benfica until 2009, and returns from a failed loan spell with Leicester City of England’s Championship division. Ferreira will link up again with former coach, Jorge Jesus, at Belenenses.