Leader who speaks? Palmeiras stumbles and Flamengo sleeps at the top of the Brazilian league table

Renan Lodi 's future has once again become a topic of discussion in Brazilian football following his tumultuous departure from Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal. The 27-year-old full-back unilaterally terminated his contract , claiming he had been barred from playing in the Saudi Arabian Championship. In response, the club announced it intends to take legal action against the player.

Lodi, a free agent, was quickly linked to Brazilian clubs, but Flamengo has no intention of entering the fray. The board believes the squad is already well-stocked at left-back and there's no need for reinforcements at this time.

Coach Filipe Luís currently has Ayrton Lucas as a solid starter and Matías Viña as an immediate alternative. Additionally, Alex Sandro is in the final stages of recovery and should expand the coach's options soon. The arrival of another full-back could create a surplus of players in Flamengo 's defense.

FINANCIAL ISSUE

Another factor that influenced the decision not to move forward with negotiations was the financial aspect. Renan Lodi has a history of high salaries since his time at Atlético de Madrid , Nottingham Forest, and Al-Hilal. Investing in a player with this profile is seen by the board as unnecessary in the club's current situation.

LODI OPENS UP ABOUT EXIT

Meanwhile, Renan Lodi publicly defends his decision to leave Al-Hilal. In a letter posted on social media, the full-back stated that he could not be prevented from practicing his profession and that he tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve the situation amicably with the Arab club.

After gaining prominence for the Brazilian national team against Chile, the right-back was once again a standout performer for Roma . Expectations for the former Flamengo player's performance are rising with each round of the Italian Championship.

Since arriving at the Italian capital club, Wesley has had a strong start, even finding the net on his debut . Since then, the Brazilian has been putting together strong performances , solidifying his place in the squad and attracting the attention of the European press.

This Sunday (14), even with Roma's 1-0 defeat to Torino, with a goal from Giovanni Simeone, Wesley was one of the main names of the Giallorossi team. The player created the best attacking opportunities and received praise from sports analysts.

HIGH SCORE ON SOFASCORE

According to the specialized portal Sofascore, Wesley received a rating of 7.0 , being the third best for Roma in the match, behind only Soulé (7.6) and goalkeeper Mile Svilar (7.1). The right-back shows constant improvement in Italy and the expectation is that he will continue to improve .

ABOUT THAT...

The duel between Flamengo and Juventude takes place this Sunday (14), at 4 pm (Brasília time), at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium , in Caxias do Sul. The match is valid for the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship Series A.

This Saturday (13), Vitinho returned to Maracanã, now wearing the Corinthians shirt , to face Fluminense in the Brazilian Championship . In addition to the striker, other athletes who played for Flamengo, such as Matheuzinho and Hugo Souza, were also at the Rio stadium during the São Paulo team's victory. The player highlighted the feeling of playing again on the stage where he accumulated significant achievements.

In a post-match interview, Vitinho stated that returning to Maracanã is always special. The striker called the stadium his "home" and recalled that he had emerged victorious most of the times he played on the historic pitch .

" Coming back to Maracanã is always good, always good to be home. I've spent so much time here, played so many games. I've been very happy most of the time. So it's always good to be at Maracanã, and coming away victorious is even better ," said the player.

FIRST CHANCE

The return to the stadium also marked an important moment in Vitinho's career at Corinthians . For the first time since joining the São Paulo club, the striker started , playing for 45 minutes and receiving a 6.7 rating from the specialized website Sofascore. He joined the team for free after finishing his contract with Al-Ettifaq, signing a contract until December 2026.

EXPRESSIVE NUMBERS

At Flamengo , Vitinho played 214 matches, scored 29 goals and distributed 33 assists. His best year was 2021, when he found the net 14 times and gave 15 decisive passes in 63 games . During his time at the Rio de Janeiro club, he won 3 Campeonato Carioca (2019, 2020 and 2021), 2 Brasileirões (2019 and 2020), 2 Libertadores (2019 and 2022), 2 Supercopas (2020 and 2021) and 1 Recopa (2020).