According to latest reports, Newcastle United are astonishingly linked to Benfica’s custodian Bruno Varela. It was thought that after securing the signature of Martin Dubravka on a permanent basis, Rafel Benitez will not be needing any goalkeeper but the reports from Portuguese media suggest otherwise.
Varela is 23 years old and will certainly be a long-term prospect for them and maybe Benitez may look to sign him keeping the future in mind. The Portuguese was a regular for his side last term as he made 35 appearances for them in all competitions and managed 14 clean sheets. He let in just 19 goals in the League in his 29 appearances and certainly looks like a good bet for a team who are in desperate need of a goalkeeper.
However, the Toon are certainly not one of them as they have the likes of Dubravka, Karl Darlow and Rob Elliot at their disposal. Benitez had used all three custodians at some point in time last season. But since the loan move of Dubravka in January, Benitez preferred the Slovakian and he slowly went on to cement the No. 1 spot.
Darlow too is a strong backup option to have and he will certainly be giving a good competition for places to Dubravka. Until and unless Darlow leaves the club, there seems to be no need for the Magpies to sign a goalkeeper.
Varela stands at 6ft 3 inches tall and has good mobility across the goal. He is yet to represent his national team but could be a future option for them in the next few years. He has represented Portugal’s national team at various youth level and was part of his side for the 2016 Rio Olympics where he made 4 appearances.
Last campaign was a breakthrough season for him as he previously played for Benfica B side where he made 85 appearances. His performance were impressive enough and he was graduated to the senior team where he became the no. 1 choice ahead of the veteran Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar. His numbers in his first season were certainly impressive and it remains to be seen whether the Eagles will let him leave when he has started to prosper.
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Rafael Benitez has made this current Newcastle side defensively organised and disciplined. Goalkeepers played a huge role in their push towards the top half of the table last season and with Dubravka already signed on a permanent basis the move for Varela doesn’t make much sense and it is highly unlikely that the move will go through.
