Soccer

José Boto guarantees Flamengo will be strong in the next transfer window

Mengão has only Juninho so far and, despite having points that he believes need reinforcements, he sees the squad as strong for this moment of the season

José Boto warns that Flamengo will be stronger in the next window - Photo: Marcelo Cortes/Flamengo

17 Jan 2025 | 13:30 |

While many clubs take advantage of the transfer window to reinforce their squads, Flamengo adopts a more cautious approach at the beginning of season. Until now, Rubro-Negro made only one signing official: striker Juninho. Unlike previous years, the club's strategy has been to prioritize the maintenance of its squad, as explained by José Boto, Flamengo's football director.

Focus on cast stability

In an interview with GE, José Boto highlighted the financial difficulties and the importance of preserving the team's base:

“The priority was to maintain this cast. Everyone knows that there are financial difficulties, so big signings would not be possible. But we don't believe that a good player needs to be expensive. The focus was on retaining the athletes that we considered crucial for the coach. No player essential to the group will be traded, and this is Flamengo in these first months”, he stated.

Boto also signaled that the next window will be more active:

“You don't have to be very intelligent to realize that we need a defender, but we are taking action calmly. When the next window opens, we will know exactly what to look for. Due to the elections held a few weeks before the start of the season, everything became more complicated. Therefore, we prefer a detailed analysis to choose the right reinforcement”, he concluded.

Upcoming transfer periods

The current window, opened on January 3rd, will remain available until February 28th. Furthermore, Flamengo will have two more signing periods in 2025, being one of them an extra window granted by FIFA to participants in the Club World Cup. Check out the next dates:

-2 to 10 June

-July 10 to September 2

Flamengo's movements in the market

Despite caution , Flamengo has already taken the first step to reinforce the squad by announcing Juninho as its main signing. However, the club is still keeping an eye on two more positions: defender and midfielder. With the departure of Fabrício Bruno and David Luiz, the main team currently has just three defenders, highlighting the need for new reinforcements for the sector.

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Soccer

Arrascaeta makes a similar criticism of Jorge Jesus: “Flamengo only loses…”

Uruguayan gave a press conference at Ninho do Urubu and spoke about the problems of unprepared professionals at the club

Arrascaeta uses Jorge Jesus' famous quote at Flamengo to criticize unprepared professionals at the club - Photo: Gilvan de Souza/Flamengo

16 Ago 2025 | 19:00 |

Friday (15) was marked by a press conference with Arrascaeta, at Ninho do Urubu. The Uruguayan midfielder made strong statements about the club's backstage and even repeated a famous phrase from Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese coach who marked an era at Flamengo.

Arrascaeta quotes Jorge Jesus: "Flamengo only loses to itself"

CRITICISM OF DESPERATE PROFESSIONALS

Without directly mentioning the coach, Arrascaeta emphasized that internal problems often harm the club's atmosphere . The Uruguayan also made it clear that he will always stand by his teammates in situations where unprepared professionals could harm them:

"I often tell my friends that Flamengo only loses to itself, because it's difficult to explain some of the things that happen here. Sometimes it's due to a lack of capacity from people who don't realize the size of the club or who aren't used to dealing with this pressure . But when you have experienced and respected players like Alex Sandro, Bruno, Nico, Viña, and so many others, the group becomes stronger," said the number 10.

"Whatever happens outside won't affect our squad. We'll always be together. When something happens to a teammate, we'll be here to help," Arrascaeta assured. The statement alludes to the controversy surrounding former doctor José Luiz Runco, who was fired after exposing details of De La Cruz's physical condition , claiming the Uruguayan was living with an irreversible chronic injury.

SUPPORT FOR DE LA CRUZ

At the time, Arrascaeta posted a photo alongside De La Cruz, accompanied by the message: " It's about taking care of our own. It's that simple ." The gesture was interpreted as a dig at the former professional, as well as a pat on the back for his club and national team friend.

Now, at the press conference, the number 10 reinforced the importance of squad unity in the face of external turbulence: "Regardless of who it is, Nico or another player, we have to be together. It's very difficult to stay focused on the field when these situations happen. But I've been here for six years and I know that Flamengo always experiences moments like this. Our role is to keep ourselves in the locker room so that this doesn't affect us, even though some situations are very difficult," he concluded.

José Boto guarantees Flamengo will be strong in the next transfer window