Newcastle United have completed the signing of Amar Dedic from Benfica, with the Bosnia and Herzegovina international putting pen to paper on a five-year contract at St James' Park. The move was confirmed on Tuesday for a fee in the region of €35m (£29.5m), with Benfica also retaining a sell-on clause on any future sale. Dedic, who turned 24 the day the deal was announced, has been handed the number 37 shirt after flying into Newcastle to complete a medical. It is the club's sixth senior addition of the summer and their first specialist right-back signing since Kieran Trippier left for Wolves on a free transfer.
The main reason Newcastle moved for Dedic is straightforward: they needed a recognised right-back, and head coach Matthias Jaissle already knew exactly what he was getting. Sporting director Ross Wilson called him "a modern full-back" who "has shown his level at Red Bull Salzburg and Benfica," while Jaissle said the Bosnian "will bring both defensive and attacking qualities to our squad." Dedic is comfortable on either flank, quick over the ground and willing to get forward in support of attacks, which suits the front-footed approach Jaissle wants from his full-backs.
There is also a personal thread running through this deal. Jaissle first worked with Dedic at FC Liefering before taking him to Red Bull Salzburg, where the pair won the Austrian Bundesliga title together in 2023, prior to Dedic's move to Benfica. Both player and manager pointed to that relationship as central to getting the deal done. "Working with Matthias again was a big factor for me," Dedic said. "We know each other well, he knows what I can bring on the pitch and I'm really happy to be playing for him again."
For Benfica, it's a significant financial win but a defensive headache. They signed Dedic from Salzburg for around €10m only a year ago, so this sale banks a healthy profit inside twelve months. The downside for José Mourinho's side is that it strips out their first-choice right-back at a time when regular option Alexander Bah is still working his way back from a serious injury, leaving the Portuguese champions short of cover in that position as they head into a Champions League campaign.
Dedic was a regular starter for Benfica this past season, making 24 Liga Portugal appearances and also featuring in the Champions League as the club chased domestic and European targets. He missed a spell through a muscle injury but returned to nail down the right-back spot, contributing at both ends of the pitch for a Benfica side built to attack. Before that, his form at Red Bull Salzburg, allied to senior appearances for Bosnia and Herzegovina at a World Cup, is what first put him on Premier League radars.
The timing works well for Newcastle. First-choice right-back Tino Livramento is still working his way back from a calf operation and is not expected to be fit for the Premier League opener against Liverpool on 24 August, leaving a gap Dedic is now well placed to fill straight away. With Trippier gone and academy options Mason Miley and Leo Shahar seen as stopgaps rather than the finished article, Dedic arrives as a genuine competitor for the right-back shirt once Livramento returns to full fitness, giving Jaissle a rotation option who already understands his methods.
