One of the earliest moves of the winter transfer window saw Weigl move from Dortmund to Benfica. I still remember Euro 2016, when observers and fans were perplexed that Weigl wasn’t starting for Germany following an excellent debut season under Thomas Tuchel at Dortmund. Weigl looked set to be one of the finest central midfielders of the next generation thanks to his ability to orchestrate play with his meticulous passing. But the constant managerial upheaval at BVB hasn’t been kind to Weigl’s development, culminating with Lucien Favre using him as a centre back in the last season and a half. Considering Dortmund’s defensive shambles under Favre, we all know how that has turned out.
Weigl clearly needed a change of scenery. Back playing in the deep midfield position he so loves, Weigl has started the last four league games for Benfica and already feels like a crucial player for the Portuguese champions. While it's still early days in Lisbon, Weigl is already averaging a 90% pass success rate, enabling his new team to control games better.
There is a bigger picture to this transfer that I really like. Over the course of his nascent career, Weigl had been linked to many big clubs. When he was playing really well, even Pep’s City were interested in him, while Tuchel fancied a reunion with him just last summer. The fact that he chose to move to Portugal instead, tells me that Weigl thought a lot about this decision. While playing for Benfica has its own set of pressures, Weigl has joined a team where he will play consistently and where the manager Bruno Lage already considers him an integral part of the team. Pertinently, it's also a reminder that there is plenty of opportunity outside Europe’s top five leagues. After all, Liga NOS has been the breeding ground for many players that have gone on to great things elsewhere. It sure is nice to see a transfer happening the other way round for once.