Adrien Rabiot at OM, Anthony Martial at AEK Athens… The summer of 2024 will have had the gift of surprising us. But one of the most surprising movements of this summer transfer window is the departure of Memphis Depay to Corinthians. Free as air, the Dutch striker, who has never stopped proclaiming out loud his ambitions to play in the best European clubs, therefore decided to join Brazil at the age of 30.
But how was the current 17th in the Brazilian championship able to attract the ex-Atlético de Madrid player? “To please the supporters a little, they needed to score a big blow during this transfer window, answers Dominique Baillif, Brazilian football expert and consultant on RTL and Le Club des 5. They have had a strong partner for some time which is an online betting company in Brazil, so obviously they have a lot of liquidity. And they said, for a name that’s worth it, we’ll pay almost the entire salary.” which will increase to 11 million euros over two years.
But this example is not an isolated case. “For a long time, Corinthians had activated the Mario Balotelli track”our speaker tells us. “A director of Corinthians explained that he was looking at what was being done elsewhere in Europe, that it was not just Memphis that could interest them,” specifies Marcelin Chamoin, author of “Garrincha”, “Primeira Bola” and “Maracanaç/zo” at Lucarne Opposée. Thus, the Spanish striker Hector Hernandez also arrived free at Corinthians, at the end of his contract in Portugal.
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Good financial health
The Sao Paulo club is not the only one to have turned to the Old Continent this summer and in recent months. Anthony Martial was once associated with Flamengo before joining Greece. Martin Braithwaite arrived at Gremio, Newcastle’s English left-back Jamal Lewis was loaned to Sao Paulo, Lyon’s Mohamed El Arouch joined (very briefly) Botafogo, Ivan Cavaleiro signed at Bragantino, Swiss Maxime Dominguez at Vasco de Gama, club of a certain… Dimitri Payet. And the list is not exhaustive.
But where does this new fad come from for players from Europe? “It’s true that it’s been a phenomenon for two, two and a half years. The country is doing a little better, economically speaking, since Lula’s return to the presidency. So obviously, it has had an impact on societies and so the partners that clubs can have, because you should know that in Brazil, club presidents are only passing through, and it is really the companies, the partners who provide financial security, who can ensure good wages”explains Dominique Baillif.
“There have been new stadiums since the 2014 World Cup. Now, it’s quite secure. So the spectators have returned, the seats are quite expensiveadds Marcelin Chamoin. And there are also TV rights. There is the Copa Libertadores, the Brazilian Cup which pays very well. So now there is good financial health.”
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The lights are therefore green for more and more Brazilian clubs in terms of finances, also helped by the fact that 9 foreigners are authorized per club compared to 5 in 2022. For their part, European players sensitive to the fervor Brazilians are now reassured by greater security and financial guarantees than a few years ago.
Nuggets that always leave sooner
There remains a basic trend to explain this new strategy. Brazil continues to form nuggets every year, and to sell them very well… but younger and younger. “We saw it with Vinicius, we saw it with Rodrigo, with Endrick. They are players who, barely 18 years old now, leave Brazil, and behind, we find ourselves with either players from a medium level, or we will try to recruit from South American countries We will say that the source may dry up a little.continues Dominique Baillif.
Since the start of the year alone, Palmeiras has sold for 84.60 million euros (47.50 for Endrick to Real Madrid, 23 for Luis Guilherme to West Ham), Fluminense has sold André to Wolverhampton for 22 million euros, the transfer of Estêvao (17 years old, Palmeiras) to Chelsea has already been announced, and even Saudi Arabia is helping: Corinthians recovered 18 million for the transfer of its 19-year-old winger Wesley to Al- Nassr, who paid the same amount to Paranaense for his goalkeeper Bento.
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We must therefore look elsewhere, which is reflected in the figures: today there are more than 130 foreign players in Brazil, an increase of 150% since 2019. And as young Argentinians, Ecuadorians and Colombians are also joining the Europe earlier and earlier, without going through the intermediate box that Brazil represented until now, the latter is adapting.
The trend is therefore not only towards big European names, but also towards “second zone” players like Braithwaite. And even to the significant transfers of South American players recruited… in Europe. This is how Flamengo recruited Argentine midfielder Carlos Alcaraz from Southampton this summer, for 18 million euros. There are definitely no more barriers.
