Flamengo has the most expensive squad in America and 43rd in the world, study shows

The Ecuadorian striker has recovered from a bone edema in his knee and participated normally in the training session with the squad. His clinical progress was considered positive by the club's doctors, and he is expected to be among those selected for the match. According to an investigation by journalist Venê Casagrande, Plata has a "good chance" of being an option for coach Filipe Luís in the match valid for the 9th round of the Brasileirão, scheduled for Maracanã, at 9 pm (Brasília time).

Plata has been out of action for Flamengo since the first leg against Botafogo-PB, in the third round of the Copa do Brasil, when he was a starter and left the field after 79 minutes with knee complaints. He has not played since then.   In the latest update released by the club's medical department, on Monday (5), the striker showed “good progress in the pain”.

A GREAT MOMENT FOR FLAMENGO

The response to treatment was positive in the following days, which allowed the player to work with the ball. With Plata's possible return, Flamengo gains another attacking alternative for a direct duel at the top of the table. The team is in third place, with 14 points, and could take the lead if they win, depending on the results of Palmeiras and Red Bull Bragantino.

Throughout the 2025 season, Gonzalo Plata has played 17 games for the red-and-black team. He has scored two goals, provided three assists and played a total of 1,104 minutes on the pitch. Plata is the tenth most used player in terms of minutes in the squad. He is behind names such as De La Cruz, Bruno Henrique, Arrascaeta, Gerson, Wesley, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira, Erick Pulgar and Rossi, who leads with 1,800 minutes.

FLAMENGO'S LATEST BALANCE SHEET

The last time he scored was in the 6-0 win over Juventude in the Brasileirão. Since then, he has been looking for a sequence of performances, interrupted by a knee problem. The return of the Ecuadorian is considered important by the coaching staff, which lost Everton Cebolinha due to injury and continues with Pedro, Gabigol and Carlinhos alternating minutes in attack. Filipe Luís evaluates the best fit for Plata in the team's current model.

Flamengo is very close to announcing the signing of midfielder Jorginho. The Italian-Brazilian, currently at Arsenal in England, is expected in Brazil in the first days of June, after fulfilling personal and professional commitments. The Rio de Janeiro club has reached an agreement for a three-season contract, with only the termination of his contract with the English team remaining for the signing to be official.

Negotiations between Flamengo and the player's staff are at an advanced stage and, internally, the tone is optimistic. The Rubro-Negro is just waiting for the end of the European season to finalize the bureaucratic procedures. The expectation is that the contract between Jorginho and Arsenal will end after May 25, when the London club's official commitments in the Premier League end . From that point on, the release will be unlocked.

PLANNING DIDN'T LEAVE THE STRAIGHT LINE

Meanwhile, Flamengo 's board of directors is planning to have Jorginho available to join the group that will travel to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup in June. Before reporting to Flamengo, Jorginho has a special date on his personal agenda. The player will get married on June 2. After the ceremony, the midfielder should travel directly to Rio de Janeiro to undergo tests and sign the contract.

INJURY OUT OF PARAMETERS

During a quick break in March, Jorginho was in the capital of Rio de Janeiro, where he spent a few days on vacation with his wife. On that occasion, he was warmly welcomed by red-and-black fans at tourist attractions in the city. Despite the agreement being reached, Jorginho still does not have a set date to return to the field. The midfielder's last game for Arsenal was on April 12, against Brentford, in the Premier League. During the match, he suffered a thoracic injury.

Since then, the midfielder has been recovering, under the supervision of the English club's medical department. Flamengo is monitoring the situation from a distance and considers the injury to be mild, but one that requires caution in the physical planning for his return to action. The case is not considered an impediment to signing the contract. The expectation is that the athlete will be able to start the red-black preseason with a focus on the World Cup, but he will still undergo evaluations at CT Ninho do Urubu.

After years of provoking Flamengo when he wore the Palmeiras and Fluminense shirts, the now commentator for Grupo Globo adopted a different stance when commenting on the club on the program “Seleção SporTV”, this Thursday (8) after the Mais Querido's draw.

Filipe Luís is a very good coach and has potential..." - said Filipe Melo

During the event, the former midfielder heaped praise on coach Filipe Luís , highlighted the former full-back's potential to establish himself as a top-level coach and asked the red-black fans to be patient at the beginning of his career on the pitch. " Filipe Luís is a very good coach and has the potential to open doors for Brazilian coaches in Europe, but he has to be calm.

A SUPPORT FOR THE COACH

In addition to supporting Filipe Luís' work, Felipe Melo was optimistic about Flamengo's performance in the decisive games of the Libertadores group stage. According to the commentator, the team will win the two remaining games — against LDU and Deportivo Táchira — and qualify with authority for the round of 16.

— I'm sure Flamengo will improve and qualify for the Libertadores. They'll win these two games, and win big. In the game against LDU, I'll give Flamengo 10 minutes to make it 1-0. And if they make it 1-0 with 10 minutes, Flamengo will win by at least 3-0 — he predicted. His speech comes at a time of pressure. After four rounds, Flamengo is in third place in Group C, with five points.

A COMMITMENT TO FILIPE LUIS

The match mentioned by Felipe Melo will be on Thursday (15), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã. The opponent is precisely LDU, leader of the group and who should play closed, looking for at least a draw in Rio de Janeiro — a result that would lead to their qualification for the knockout stage.