Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has raved about Benfica winger Rafa Silva – a player Newcastle United were desperate to sign last summer.
Liverpool head to Lisbon tonight as they take on Benfica in their Champions League quarter-final clash.
Benfica won’t be a pushover for Liverpool by any stretch of the imagination, and have dangerous players who can hurt the Reds.
Klopp noted the danger of Darwin Nunez on Monday, but also offered praise for his Benfica teammate Rafa Silva.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Klopp suggested that he was simply blown away by the speed Rafa possesses.
“Rafa is, with the ball… wow! Really quick. There’s a lot of quality in this team,” said Klopp.
Rafa, 28, has been sensational this season with 12 goals and 17 assists in 43 appearances for Benfica this season.
16 of those assists have come in just 27 league games, so Liverpool have to wary of Benfica speedy creative outlet tonight.
Rafa’s name may be familiar to some Premier League fans given the speculation surrounding his future in recent times.
Last summer, The Mirror reported that Rafa was Newcaslte’s top summer transfer target – months before their takeover went through.
Seemingly unable to afford Rafa without the takeover, Newcastle missed out on what could have been an exciting signing.
It’s unclear whether Newcastle are still keen after their takeover but Wolverhampton Wanderers seem very interested.
A Bola claim that Wolves have started talks to try and bring Rafa to Molineux at the end of the season.
Wolves certainly love signing a Portuguese player or two, so Rafa – who worked with Bruno Lage at Benfica – certainly makes sense.
Klopp will be fearing facing the rapid winger tonight, but may also end up having to face him in the Premier League next season and beyond.
That’s a nightmare for any full back, and we will soon see how Rafa fares against Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold or Joe Gomez in a great test of his ability.
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