Marco Silva explains why he couldn’t let Dodi Lukebakio join Sunderland

Sunderland’s failed deadline-day move for Dodi Lukebakio now has a crystal clear explanation from Benfica manager Marco Silva.

The Black Cats tried to sign the Belgium international in the final hours of the window. Talks took place with Benfica and Lukebakio opened the door to the move.

Nothing came of it before the deadline, though, and Silva has now confirmed Benfica made a technical decision to keep him.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash with Marítimo, the manager was directly asked whether he had stopped Lukebakio leaving.

“It is not very important whether it was Marco, Manuel or António,” he said, via A Bola. “Technical matters can only be down to me, I think there are no doubts about that and there shouldn’t be. It was a technical decision.”

Why Benfica didn’t let him join Sunderland

Silva’s explanation makes Sunderland’s failure to get a deal over the line easier to understand. The Benfica boss believes Lukebakio offers something his other options on the right simply don’t.

“Lukebakio has very specific characteristics which we don’t have from another player on the right,” he said. “My technical assessment of our wingers and what we want on the right is that we don’t have any player with Lukebakio’s characteristics.”

There’s an obvious catch here. Lukebakio hasn’t actually been starting regularly. He has appeared in six of Benfica’s eight matches this season, but started only once. That had seemingly given Sunderland an opportunity to take him to the Premier League.

Silva says appearances don’t tell the whole story.

“Regardless of the fact he hasn’t been playing, Lukebakio has known my opinion from the very beginning,” he explained. “He asked me several times. We need a player with his characteristics in the Benfica squad.”

Needed at Benfica – but no starting guarantees

That doesn’t mean Lukebakio suddenly has a guaranteed place. Silva was also asked whether the 28-year-old would accept having a smaller role. He made clear that transfer fees won’t dictate his selections.

“We don’t make technical decisions by decree – this player cost X so he has to play, or this player cost Y so he has to play,” Silva said. “It’s about performance and what they show us.”

The manager also acknowledged that a player’s age and stage of his career can affect how he views limited minutes. Silva sees it as his job to keep those players motivated, even when they’re unhappy with their involvement.

For Lukebakio specifically, there’s plenty of competition. Silva named Prestianni, Schjelderup, Kaminski and Rafa among his wide options.

33-year-old Rafa has performed particularly well coming inside from the right, giving the manager another solution there.

Still, Silva sees Lukebakio differently. He describes him as a genuine touchline winger who stays wide, something those alternatives don’t necessarily provide.

“In some matches, if not a good number of matches, we’re going to need players with Lukebakio’s characteristics on the pitch,” he said.

That explains Sunderland’s problem on deadline day rather neatly. They found a player willing to consider the move despite his limited minutes. Unfortunately for the Black Cats, his manager wasn’t nearly as willing to lose him.