Winger to start training at Benfica
on Monday
The Portuguese winger was expected to be presented to Valencias
fans yesterday, but the deal was dramatically called off at the
last minute, with the stumbling block appearing to be the players
wages.
The Benfica captain and Spanish club cannot come to terms over
salary. It is being reported that Simao is looking for a wage raise
higher than Valencia are prepared to pay.
A meeting last night united Simao, his agent (Jorge Mendes),
Benfica president (Luis Filipe Vieira), and the Spanish clubs
president (Juan Soler) and sporting director (Amadeo Carboni) in a
Valencia hotel to try to thrash out a deal hours before the
official presentation of Los Che to their fans. The idea of was
to present Simao as well, but it was not to be.
Filipe Vieira felt that Valencia under-valued the player, admitting
that the clubs reached an agreement, but not the player.
The Benfica president also stated that he never stood in the
players way regarding the move. We have always said that we were
available to find a solution that allowed Simao and his family to
find a better life. This is what we did.
Vieira pointedly added, Simao has concrete ideas about his worth
and what he wants. For the offer they gave him, its better to stay
at Benfica. When family is involved, if you have to move to a place
where they are going to pay you the same, its not worth it.
Since nothing was agreed, Simao will train with the rest of his
team-mates on Monday, and Benfica have until midnight on August 3rd
to register the player for the first leg of the upcoming Champions
League qualifier.
The player can be registered, but if he were to set foot on the
pitch, he would rule himself out of playing in any European
competitions in the current season for another club.
The saga may not be over and another team could well swoop for the
26-year-old, but for the time being, the news will delight all
Benfica fans.
