JOURNALIST HIGHLIGHTS THAT COPA AMÉRICA COULD TAKE THE TITLE FROM BRAZILIAN FLAMENGO: "IT'S VERY WRONG"

Flamengo maintained its momentum in the Brazilian Championship Betano with a solid 2-0 victory over São Paulo, this Saturday (12), at Maracanã. With goals from Luiz Araújo and Wallace Yan, Rubro-Negro reached 27 points and remains at the top of the competition. But the result on the field was overshadowed by strong statements from Filipe Luís in the post-match press conference.

STRIKER CATCHES ATTENTION IN THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Pedro 's absence from the squad had already drawn attention. With no reported injury, the center forward wasn't even on the bench. When asked about the situation, Filipe Luís adopted a straightforward stance, revealing that the decision was motivated by off-field factors, particularly the player's behavior in training.

The coach bluntly described Pedro's performance as "ridiculous" and said the number 9 has been lacking in both technique and attitude. Filipe also cited internal information, such as GPS data from training, to justify the decision not to include the striker. According to him, the numbers show that Pedro has been the worst on the squad in terms of physical performance.

PROBLEMS BECAME SERIOUS

According to Filipe, the decision to remove Pedro was communicated and discussed with the team captains. The coach emphasized that the lack of commitment and even "mockery" during training directly influenced the decision.

This turbulent period comes amid rumors of a departure . Zenit, from Russia, is preparing a R$97.5 million offer to sign the striker. Despite the criticism, Filipe Luís doesn't view a potential transfer favorably.

Santos, Flamengo's next opponent in the Brasileirão, is known for being one of the top-scoring teams in the world, with over 13,000 goals in its history. In recent years, however, it has faced problems in its attacking department and has not seen any goalscorer establish itself on the team.

Since Marcos Leonardo's departure at the beginning of last year, nine players have been tested as "number 9s." Wendel Silva, Tiquinho Soares, Deivid Washington, and Luca Meirelles have all had opportunities this year. Of the four, Tiquinho Soares has the best stats, scoring eight goals in 26 matches.

Deivid Washington played 16 games, scoring two goals, while Luca Meirelles appeared 14 times, yet failed to find the net. Wendel Silva played three games before being returned to Porto in Portugal.

THE COACH HAS NOT YET DEFINED HIS '9'

Since the arrival of coach Cleber Xavier, Santos has not had a starting player - Tiquinho Soares andDeivid Washington were used. Against Botafogo, which is considered one of Santos' best performances under the coach, Neymar played as a false nine, with the duo remaining on the bench.

In the friendly against Desportiva Ferroviária, Deivid Washington started and scored a goal, which was disallowed for offside. Tiquinho Soares came on at halftime and played in a completely reserve team, hindering their performance.

AGAINST FLAMENGO

Deivid Washington is expected to start again against Flamengo in the 14th round of the Brasileirão. However, with Rollheiser's return, who will serve a suspension against the Rio de Janeiro team, there's a chance the center forward will return to the bench.

In his last season for Santos, in 2023, Marcos Leonardo scored 21 goals in 49 matches and finished as the club's top scorer in the Brasileirão, with 13 goals.

Last year, then-coach Fábio Carille began the season rotating between Alfredo Morelos, Julio Furch, and Willian Bigode. Later that year, the club loaned the Colombian and brought in Wendel Silva. Enzo Monteiro, Alejandro Villareal, and Luca Meirelles, all from the youth academy, were also used.

However, none of them surpassed ten goals. Willian Bigode had the best performance, with seven goals in 39 matches. Julio Furch scored six times in 41 games. Morelos and Wendel Silva had similar performances, with four goals each, with the Colombian playing 17 matches, while the Brazilian appeared on 16 occasions.

In other words, the four center forwards together scored the same number of goals as Marcos Leonardo in 2023. Santos' top scorer in 2024 was striker Guilherme, with 13 goals. Midfielder Giuliano scored 12 goals, while Otero found the net eight times.

The Italian club formalized a proposal for Wesley with a base value of €20 million, plus €2 million in bonuses for goals. This amount, in theory, would meet most of the expectations of Brazilian clubs in negotiations with European football. However, Flamengo understands that it is not yet the ideal time to release the player.

IT WILL NOT COME OUT FOR A VALUE BELOW

According to sources interviewed by this report, the club's board believes Wesley could be valued even higher if he improves technically and performs well in the remaining competitions of the season. The club also believes the player has the potential to fetch higher fees in a future negotiation.

According to journalist Venê Casagrande, Wesley and his representatives have already finalized all the details with Roma. The Italian club offered a long-term contract with attractive salaries and performance-based bonuses. Negotiations between the player and the European club are therefore finalized, with only Flamengo's approval remaining for the transfer to be finalized.

FLAMENGO EXPERIENCES HIGH NUMBERS

The possibility of a new move from Roma is not ruled out. Internally, Flamengo knows that the Italians could return to the table with a revised offer. The amount requested to open negotiations is being kept confidential, but it is likely to exceed the €22 million offered.

Roma 's rejection of the offer reinforces the line taken by Flamengo's board in recent transfers. The club has sought to avoid making sales below what it considers fair on the international market, even when the figures are impressive at first glance.