General Manager José Veiga left SL Benfica in the middle of last season, at the time it was for the personal reasons that we all know about, and had to do with a financial dispute he had with a foreign bank. The fact of the matter is that those problems were solved a few months later, and José Veiga has yet to be officially announced as being back with Benfica. Officially he does not represent Benfica and is not working for Benfica.

This situation is somewhat strange to me, since we all know he is working for Banfica. Fernando Santos had said, even before the season was over, that we was already planning next season with José Veiga. We also all know he is in Argentina and was responsible for having Óscar Cardoso come to Benfica, and since he is still in Argentina, we can only assume he is not done shopping. Bergessio is rumored to be another player on his list.

While I am no big fan of José Veiga, especially since he was initially very tied to FC Porto, I have to admit he is above all a professional, and had done an excellent job at Sport Lisboa and Benfica. He was Champion his first year at Benfica when everyone least expected it. He has also brought good players to Benfica when we didn´t have much money and bargaining power. Now, with more money in his pockets, and the fact that Benfica has had good exposure in UEFA international matches it should be easier for him to convince even better quality players to sign for Benfica.

Lets see if he has one or two more surprises for us this summer!