As clear as mud: the Summer transfer window in the Liga, part IV

A much-delayed part four. This post was supposed to appear early last week, but then Roman Abramovich got involved. What can you do? At least I had a bit longer to tot up the Benfica squad...(something like 46, in case you were wondering). In case you missed out on Parts I, II and III...

SL Benfica

Where they're at: Last season turned out to be something of a nightmare for the defending champions, for all that they broke the record for consecutive Liga victories along the way. Benfica never recovered from their slow start, and the failure to replace the likes of Ramires, Di María and David Luiz only compounded the misery of Jorge Jesus. I'm of the opinion that Porto were nigh-on unbeatable in 2010/11, but that doesn't mask the fact that Benfica were - when it mattered - also found wanting.

Who's out: Nobody major yet, but that will almost certainly change between now and September. Depending on which daily you read, Benfica are either resigned to losing or on the verge of signing Eduardo Salvio on a permanent basis, but with both Diego Forlán and Kün Aguero set to depart from Atlético Madrid, it seems unlikely that Toto will be back at the Luz, on loan or otherwise.

There have been seven departures so far. Sidnei has been loaned to Besiktas, Airton is set to rejoin Flamengo (once the Brazilian club pay the loan fees), Felipe Menezes has returned to Brazil on loan to Botafogo, whilst club idol Nuno Gomes has not been offered a new contract. The merits of this decision have been - and will no doubt continue to be - debated, but what is certain is that the club could have handled the situation with a little more finesse. At the time of writing, Gomes looks set for Braga, a scenario that has obvious potential to backfire on Benfica. We'll see. Youngsters Mário Rui and João Pereira have terminated with the club, and have already joined Parma and Beira-Mar respectively. Hassan Yebda is also off to Italy, with Napoli.

Elsewhere, Fábio Coentrão's transfer to Real Madrid is hovering in the netherworld between completion and speculation. Coentrão himself has earned the club's ire by talking out of turn to the Spanish press, and despite the delay, this is very much a case of when rather than if. Ready to replace him as the prime protagonist in a drawn-out, painful saga is Óscar Cardozo. The Paraguayan is coming off a fairly inconsistent campaign, and with interest from Dynamo Kiev in particular, Benfica would - in my opinion - be well-advised to cash in.

Also available for loans (and/or permanent transfers) are Roberto, Oblak, Fábio Faria, Miguel Vítor, Shaffer, Urreta, Balboa, Jorge Ribeiro, Rodrigo, Weldon, and Kardec. There have also been the usual rumours about Maxi Pereira, Pablo Aimar, and Javier Saviola.

Who's in: As you may have gathered, Benfica could sell half their squad and still have a fair bit of dead wood remaining. Quite how it got to this, or - to put it more accurately - why it's been this way for the better part of the last two decades, is undoubtedly a subject worthy of examination, but it's a beautiful day out there, and I want to catch some sunlight. Condensed version: Benfica love a transfer. LOVE one. Or twenty. (They also love an undisclosed fee, so some of the numbers quoted below are only reported).

So far, Artur (free, Braga); Fábio Faria (loan return from Valladolid); Léo Kanu (c. 1M €, Cruzeiro RS); Shaffer (loan return from Rosario Central); Daniel Wass (free, Brøndby); Matic (arrives as part of the David Luiz deal); Nuno Coelho (free, Académica); André Almeida (c. 200,000 € compensation to Belenenses); Miguel Rosa (loan return from Belenenses); Bruno César (c. 6M €, Corinthians); Nolito (free, Barcelona B); David Simão (loan return, Paços); Rodrigo (loan return, Bolton); Urreta (loan return, Peñarol); Rodrigo Mora (unconfirmed, Defensor Sporting); Melgarejo (c. 760,000 €, Independiente CG), and Nélson Oliveira (loan return, Paços) have arrived; though not all have been presented. If you'd like a lie down after reading that, you have my permission.

In addition to that little lot, last season's U19 captain Rúben Pinto has been promoted to the full squad, whilst Argentine Enzo Pérez is expected to complete a 5.5M € move by the end of this week. Of the nineteen players listed above, I would argue that Artur, Coelho, César, and Pérez are best-placed to establish themselves in the first team, at least in the short term. The majority of the rest will be loaned out, with a few left to scratch around the margins. It's classic Portuguese football economics: throw as much shit as you can, some of it's bound to stick. Pardon my indelicate phrasing.

Benfica are still lacking a replacement for Coentrão, with Carole having displayed promise and inexperience in equal measure last season. The frontrunner at the moment appears to be Royston Drenthe (as part of the deal which will take Coentrão to Madrid), a prospect which is both intriguing and disturbing. An experienced centre-back to cover for (or supplant) Jardel wouldn't go amiss, whilst an alternative to Cardozo may or may not be necessary. All will be revealed, dear reader...or not...

União de Leiria

Where they're at: Last season wasn't a bad one for Leiria, it just...was. Pedro Caixinha is a promising young coach, but the sale of Carlão in January essentially put the kibosh on any ambitions beyond mid-table mediocrity. Which is what the club's (few) fans got. Now, operating under a reduced budget and with the municipality threatening to throw them out of the Magalhães Pessoa, it's hard to imagine expectations being re-calibrated to any great extent; at least in an upward direction.

Who's out: Six confirmed, so far, and unfortunately for Caixinha, two of those were key members of last season's squad. Defender Bruno Miguel has departed for Astra Ploiesti in Romania, with his colleague Zé António (the veteran linchpin of the back four) yet to sign a new contract. Midfielders Ricardo Pateiro and Silas also refused new deals and upped sticks for Rio Ave and AEL Limassol respectively, whilst a pair of under-achieving forwards (Fabrício and Rodrigo Silva) have been loaned to Estoril. Everton loanee João Silva has yet to be tied down after a fairly underwhelming spell at the club, whilst the likes of Mika, Gottardi, and Leandro Lima will also likely attract interest.

Who's in: Leiria's reduced budget means that Caixinha will primarily be restricted to the loan and free agent market, with the six arrivals so far costing a combined total of zero. Renato has returned from a loan spell at Fátima, and the aforementioned defensive losses may well make him a more central presence. In midfield, the arrival of veteran Thiago Gentil on loan from Nacional may well prove to be a decent piece of business. Youngster Jardel has been promoted from U19 side, hoping to follow in the first team footsteps of Rúben Brígido.

Up front, a pair of former Porto youth players (Jorge Chula and Diogo Viana) are close to joining, whilst Alex Pires (Fluminense) and Luís Leal (Estoril) have arrived. The latter in particular is an interesting signing, having caught the eye in the second tier last season.

Vitória de Guimarães

Where they're at: Despite struggling for consistency at times, 2010/11 was a broadly successful campaign for Guimarães, ending as it did with European qualification secured. Their 6-2 hammering at the hands of Porto in the Taça de Portugal final was embarrassing but hardly unexpected, with Manuel Machado and co. having appeared to be on their holidays since the victory over Académica in the semi-final. Guimarães are, along with Nacional and Benfica, already back in pre-season training.

Who's out: Given Guimarães' reputation for having a high turnover of players, their outgoings have been fairly limited thus far. A pair of youthful defenders, João Amorim and Paulo Oliveira, have been loaned to Aves and Penafiel, whilst Lionn and Renan (both of whom were loaned out last season) have been allowed to depart for CFR Cluj. Veteran Brazilian Cléber has moved on to Cartagena in Spain, and forward Douglas has joined regional rivals Braga, after a rumoured fall-out with Machado earlier in the year. Jorge Ribeiro has returned to Benfica after his loan deal expired.

Others who could move on include João Paulo, Tony, Rui Miguel, João Ribeiro, and Tiago Targino.

Who's in: Here, Guimaraes have been somewhat more prolific. A total of ten players have either signed or are on the verge of doing so, with club officials having taken scouting trips to both Brazil and Africa. Rodrigo Defendi (Paraná), El Adoua (Al-Qadsia), Siaka Bamba (Feirense), Leonel Olímpio (Paços), Jean Barrientos (Racing de Montevideo), Dinis (Deportivo la Coruna), Paulo Sérgio (Olhanense), Fábio Fortes (Real), Marcelo (Freamunde), and N'Djeng (JSM - though this move has been in limbo for a couple of weeks now) are the ten, and there are some real gems amongst them - principally Olímpio, Bamba, and Sérgio.

With pre-season underway, and their Europa League campaign due to begin in four weeks, I would expect Guimarães to taper down their incomings from now on, with something like 35 bodies in the squad as it stands.

Vitória de Setúbal

Where they're at: It's a new era at the Bonfim. Having secured survival at (almost) the last moment of the 2010/11 campaign, and with new coach Bruno Ribeiro set to embark on his first full season, fans and players alike will be looking forward to a more positive period for the club, which had grown somewhat stale under Manuel Fernandes.

Who's out: The headline departure looks set to be that of Cláudio Pitbull, although his transfer to Olympiakos Volos has been placed in doubt by the emerging match-fixing scandal in Greece. However, whether it is Greece or somewhere else, the talismanic forward remains likely to depart - Setúbal could use the cash.

Defenders Valdomiro and François have also moved on, with Silva and Sassá expected to follow in the coming days. Setúbal will be desperate to retain goalkeeper Diego amidst interest from a number of Turkish clubs, but with redevelopment work at the Bonfim emerging as something of a priority in recent months, he too may be auctioned off.

Who's in: Thus far, Bruno Ribeiro has plenty of grounds for optimism, with Setúbal having brought in a number of interesting options for the new season. Chief amongst these are combative midfielder Bruno Amaro and centre-forward Miguel Fidalgo, signed as free agents from Nacional and Académica. Another midfielder, Tengarrinha, has made his loan move from Porto permanent, whilst a trio of youngsters (Bruno Louerenço, Ricardo Dâmaso and Moisés) have returned from loan spells.

At the back, Célio Santos looks set to join from Belenenses, whilst Igor has arrived from Trofense. Both enjoyed solid campaigns in the second tier, and deserve an opportunity (or in the case of Igor, a second chance) in the top flight.

However, outshining all of those is the acquisition of Gonçalo Graça from Varzim, which has not been officially confirmed but, should it go through, would represent a fine deal for Setúbal. Graça was one of the outstanding young players in Portugal last season, despite the fact that Varzim were relegated from the Liga de Honra. A creative attacker who is effective both out wide and in central areas, his name is undoubtedly worth remembering.

So...there you have it. Don't forget Parts I, II and III, and keep your eyes peeled on the Twitter feed for all the latest news from Portugal. I'll be back blogging in a couple of weeks, once the Europa League kicks into gear, most likely.