Magath pleased with Portuguese additions

Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has added two more players to his squad with the arrival of Brazilian defender Felipe Lopes from Nacional and attacking midfielder Ibrahim Sissoko from Academica. Both men have signed three-and-a-half-year contracts to take the number of winter recruits at the club to seven. Magath believes the new additions are vital as he plots a way up the Bundesliga table. "We are not just buying players on a whim," he said. "It is difficult to find players who can make a difference, yet with solid financial negotiating, we have managed to sign a mixture of youth, experience, technique and fighting spirit." Magath's latest signings, both arriving from the Portuguese league, will join the rest of the squad in preparation for the second half of the season with the former, who played in the UEFA Europa League this season, a candidate for a place in the starting XI. "He is the kind of player who would fit into any side because he has a very warm character and he is also an absolute team player," said Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, who was a team mate of Lopes at Nacional for six months before moving to the Wolves. "He is tall and fast and has everything that you need from a central defender." Magath added: "Felipe is a large, decisive defender who is strong in the air. [Ibrahim] is a young man for the future. He is technically strong and very active."