Ruben Dias - Benfica confirm sale to City

[ONTHERUNWITHTHAKSIN]

If Dias was our number one target it wouldn’t have emerged a week before the deadline. Why would we brief sources close to the club about KK and other targets all summer to then move for our supposed number one target a week before the deadline?

But the fact is no one knows what is fact or fiction apart from those within the club involved with transfers

People including UEFA believed Der Speigel and that proved fiction was taken over fact

It’s media and social media claiming ITK status

 

[g180aj]

Massive risk if it happens, hope it pulls off. I’ve been dissatisfied with every player we’ve signed from Portugal so far. I can also count on one hand how many Portuguese players have played well in the PL.

Ederson has done pretty well!

 

[urban genie]

Sources close to the club were saying that we were in for KK all summer. There’s no smoke without fire.

People can of course choose not to believe that and believe instead that Dias was our number one target all along and that we’ve been negotiating with Benfica all summer and Txiki has pulled off an absolute blinder by making them think that we weren’t keen only to swoop in at the eleventh hour.

Not saying that Dias was never on our long list of potential signings but to suggest that he was our number one target all along is naive imo.

I don't believe or give a shite who was our number one target, maybe we didn't have one, maybe we put our irons in a few fires, yet unlike that twat at napoli the other parties were happy to negotiate on the QT.
Sources clise to the club say we were in for KK and we obviously were, diesn't mean tgat was an exclusive target only l.

And it really doesn't matter, any player can come here and work out great or shite number one targets are irrelelvent, getting one to compliment what we have is the priority whether it was the first guy we looked at or the 4th, as ling as whe they arrive it works.

Mango, mendy, negredo were all first choice targets and were failiures in the end.

 

[NI Blue]

Last season my son was in Portugal for a while and went to a couple of Benfica games and remarked how solid a defender Dias was. Said he looked a class act.

 

[Easy]

Positives for me are his age, and definitely seems to be a leader looking at that dressing room video and Benfica fan forum. Reminded me of Vinny. We are really missing that leadership when go a goal down. Looks like he knows where net is from corners, adds much needed height and aggression. The amount of comments last season crying out for a bit of height and someone to get stuck in. Look at the midweek game everyone loving Delap’s aggression. We have missed a bit of fight since Vinny has gone, we need a bit of steel in the side as well as the lovely football. Liked the look of Kounde, but just think this lad gives us the aggression and steel we are missing in the side.

have to agree. Leadership more important than pace for our next CB imo

As much as everyone wants him to be Laporte is not a leader. Great player but he’s not vocal at all.

Someone mentioned they call Ruben “the boss”, great news for us.

Leadership is really an underrated trait. Every time Kompany stepped on to the field all the defenders immediately played better. Vinny raised everyone’s level. A true captain.

 

[g180aj]

Hard to dribble past him. Good spatial awareness and defensive positioning in 1v1 situations. He's not a Varane but has enough pace to be able to cover space behind playing a high defensive line.

So we pretty much could be getting a right footed Laporte? Not lightning quick but a solid and confident defender who can play football.

 

[red 2 hats]

I know nothing about Dias apart from what I've read on here, but one thing I'm certain is we need a new centre back and if this guy fits the bill, get him signed.
I have seen Kounde and I've been impressed, KK is a great player but far too expensive for a 29 year old plus the Napoli chairman is a prick.
The transfer window closes next week and I don't want it leaving to the last minute.

 

[DMA's]

Just a heads up for anybody interested Dias is due to play tonight for Benfica at 18:30 UK time and you can watch on freesports channel 422 on sky

 

[g180aj]

55m euro, plus 15m add ons, plus Otamendi that's more than we were being quoted for Koulibaly and Kounde I think. 80m euro in total, a big gamble this one.

It's possibly €70m Otamendi was supposed to be on loan for a year with us paying half his wages so I've got no idea why your counting €10m for him

 

[waspish]

Just a heads up for anybody interested Dias is due to play tonight for Benfica at 18:30 UK time and you can watch on freesports channel 422 on sky

So Benfica hasn’t excepted our offer?