Domingos Soares de Oliveira, co-CEO of Benfica’s SAD, has spoken to The New York Times[expander_maker id=”1″ ] about the highly publicized transfer of Enzo Fernández to Chelsea on the last day of the winter transfer window for €121 million, which is the second-largest sale in the club’s history, behind only the €126M received for João Félix.

Soares de Oliveira explained that the Premier League generates a lot of money, and salaries are much higher, making it challenging to retain players. While Benfica wanted to keep Enzo Fernández for a few more months, they could not refuse Chelsea’s offer, as the player himself wished to join the London side.

“The desire of the player was decisive. We would prefer to keep Enzo Fernández for a few more months instead of selling him, but we could not say no. Benfica did not need to sell Enzo, but we had to respect the player’s wishes,” explained Soares de Oliveira.

The co-CEO also highlighted that the revenue that Benfica gained from the sale of Darwin Núñez to Liverpool last summer allowed them to invest in a stronger squad and try to keep their key players for longer periods.

Enzo Fernández joined Benfica in 2020 from River Plate, and his performances quickly caught the attention of some of the top clubs in Europe. Still, it was Chelsea who played the most significant bid and managed to secure the Argentine’s services.

While the sale of Enzo Fernández was a significant loss for Benfica, they have coped well, currently sitting at the top of the Portuguese league and looking to end their long title drought.

Benfica has a rich footballing history, with their domination of the 1960s being a particular highlight. The club has won 37 Primeira Liga titles, 29 Taca de Portugal trophies, eight Taca da Liga titles, and two European Cup titles.[/expander_maker]