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The Daily Mail reports that Benfica midfielder Erdal Rakip has joined the South London club on loan for the rest of the season.
Rakip, who is of Macedonian and Turkish descent, but plays for Sweden at under-21 international level, only joined Benfica from Swedish club Malmo earlier this month, but they have decided to send him immediately out on loan to get experience in the Premier League.
Manager Roy Hodgson is keen to bolster his midfield options with his team currently missing a number of key players through injury, with his problems exacerbated by the loss of Yohan Cabaye during Saturday’s thrashing away to Arsenal, with the French player facing a minimum of four to six weeks on the side-lines having been stretchered off the field.
21-year old Rakip hopes to make an immediate impression at his new club saying “I believe that this is a league that suits me and my way of playing. It’s fast-paced and physically intense, and I’m a classic No. 6; a box to box player who runs up and down the pitch”.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.