By Melody Gross )
The Swiss international striker came on loan but there is a plan to keep him at Luz
Zaki Amdouni is yet to make his debut as a starter, but the signs he showed in his few minutes for Benfica reinforce the conviction the Reds formed when they were able, this summer, to land the 23-year-old on loan. -The old Swiss international striker from Burnley: Al-Amdouni will play permanently.
Al-Amdouni entered in the 67th minute of Saturday’s match against Gil Vicente, and in the 78th minute he scored his first goal for Benfica, in the team’s 5-1 victory. He participated in the four matches supervised by coach Bruno Lage, always as a substitute, scoring 23 minutes with Santa Clara, 2 minutes against Estrela Vermelha in Serbia, the Champions League, 19 minutes with Boavista and 23 minutes, then, in the duel with Gil Vicente – But in every challenge there were details that demonstrated quality. In the minds of the fans there was the wonderful shot against the post that he made in two minutes on the field against Estrela Vermila, in Belgrade, and the day before yesterday, with Gil Vicente, for the tournament, he shot from outside the goal. penalty area to score Benfica's fourth goal in the match and his first with the club.
Zaki Amdouni's ability to play in different attacking positions is also an important argument, and as we can see, Bruno Lage is happy.
The Swiss striker, who plays for Benfica, actually entered the field to play as a left winger, right winger and second striker (to play this role the Reds decided to sign him) in a tactical layout closer to 4x4x2. This diversity also makes it valuable.
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Al-Amdouni made his debut with the Eagles and spoke enthusiastically at the end
the job
Al-Amdouni came to Luz on loan until the end of the season, for a loan fee of 2 million euros and a release clause of 20 million euros. This is a significant investment, but Benfica are willing to do so and have already set out models for future work with the English club and player.
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The Eagles paid Burnley €2 million for the Swiss striker and have a €20 million purchase option
Although we are still at the beginning of the season, the Benfica president has already made clear what the plan is for the player. “He arrived in the last week of the market, and in the meantime there were selections, and he still practically got along and got to know his teammates well. But I'm pretty sure he'll be important this season, and I hope he will be in the coming seasons as well, because he has a loan with an option to buy. It was the only way we could get him. “We hope that things will go well and he will be our player at the end of the season,” Rui Costa said last week, when analyzing last market signings.
The Reds had been tagging this striker for a long time (he was particularly excited about his season at Basel, in 2022/23, in which he scored 22 goals and provided five assists in 52 appearances), but they were only able to move for him this summer, following the departure of Many of the strikers in the team (Rafa, Neres and Tingstedt) are taking advantage of the window open after Burnley's relegation last season, from the Premier League to the Championship.
Al-Amdouni was immediately very interested in inviting Benfica, but Burnley's financial requirements for the eventual sale advised the Eagles' SAD to structure the process first with a loan.
After defeating the Benfica coach, Al-Amdouni now began to seduce fans with his football and charismatic personality on the field, highlighted, for example, by the way he celebrated goals, extending his left arm and accurately mimicking a shot. As if he was a sniper.
In a report already published by A BOLA, Jean-Michel Aybe, who coached the Eagles' new number 7 at the Swiss team Etoile Carouge, said that Amdouni has everything it takes to succeed. “He is a complete player, able to play and shoot with both feet. He has a great eye for goal and is also capable of making crucial passes. He has a great mentality,” stressed the coach.
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Jean-Michel Aybe has coached Benfica's new No.7, and in an interview with A BOLA, he told us what surprised him most about the striker and what fans can expect from him.
For everything to go well at Benfica, Amdouni has the advantage of knowing how to speak Turkish (he has dual citizenship, Swiss and Turkish) and the presence in the dressing room of Gokcu and Akturcuglu, two Turkish internationals who will certainly help him adapt.