Benfica is very close to securing the signing of Souffian El Karouani, a Moroccan left-back who appears as a solution to strengthen a position that has deserved attention from the Eagles' structure. Pedro Sousa made a critical assessment of the defender on the Now channel, pointing out his main weaknesses. According to the analyst, El Karouani has difficulties in the air game department and shows defensive flaws, with Samuel Dahl being better than him at defending. Sousa argued that the player will need to be compensated by a player like João Palhinha.
However, the analyst praised the player's strengths. El Karouani is described as a very technical player, with excellent passing ability, and who never stops physically. Sousa noted that besides the assists, the defender plays more than 4,000 minutes per season in a team like Utrecht, demonstrating great physical endurance and availability.
According to sources in Saudi Arabia, the Eagles' SAD managed to include a purchase option in the agreement, which should be around 10 million euros. The clubs will split between them the payment of the player's salary during the loan period.
