After London switch, Corinthians academy full-back says goodbye | OneFootball

After being announced by Chelsea, England, last Thursday (3), left-back Denner, considered one of the biggest prospects to come through Corinthians’ youth academy in recent years, used his social media on Saturday night (5) to say goodbye to the club from Parque São Jorge. At the London club, the youngster signed a contract until 2034 and will initially be part of the Blues’ Under-19 and Under-21 teams – Chelsea CBG.

“Today I say goodbye to the club of my heart. I’m extremely grateful for all these years I lived inside this club, grateful for every moment, lesson, challenge, friendship, and for every person who was part of this journey. Wearing this shirt and being part of this history was an honor and a privilege. Now a new chapter begins, but everything I lived here will be kept forever in my heart. Today a cycle comes to an end, one that will continue soon! ‘Here there’s a bunch of crazy ones’,” said the full-back. Click here to check out the post.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

When announcing the arrival of the Corinthians prospect, the Blues highlighted the Terrão graduate’s attacking qualities, emphasizing the full-back’s performances during Alvinegro’s runner-up campaign in the 2025 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior — a 3-2 comeback defeat to São Paulo in the final. In the competition, at just 16 years old, he scored three goals and finished as the team’s second-top scorer in the tournament.

With Chelsea’s Under-19 and Under-21 teams, Denner will be able to play in domestic competitions for both age groups, including Premier League 2 — intended for players up to 21 years old from England’s first-division clubs. The youngster has been sold to Chelsea since the start of last season.

At the time, still under the administration of ousted president Augusto Melo, Corinthians agreed to sell the player for 10 million euros (R$ 61.3 million at the time), plus another 4 million euros (R$ 24.59 million) in performance-related bonuses stipulated in the contract that he may eventually achieve. In addition, Alvinegro retained 15% of any capital gain. In other words, Corinthians will be entitled to 15% of any possible profit the London club makes if the player is sold in the future.

In mid-July this year, Denner’s contract termination with Corinthians was published in the CBF’s Daily Information Bulletin (BID). Having turned 18 in February 2026, the youngster has been on English soil since October last year. Initially, under Chelsea’s supervision, he was dealing with an injury and recovering from surgery on the meniscus in his right knee. After the 2025 Copinha, the player faced physical issues that ended up preventing him from getting a longer run of games in Corinthians’ youth setup.

In 2026, even though he had already been sold, there was speculation that the player could play in the Copa São Paulo for Corinthians, since he had not yet reached full legal age to play in Europe. However, the English club stood firm and insisted that he remain in the United Kingdom. His contract with Timão was valid until March 2027 — he signed his first professional deal at the start of 2024. As his domestic release clause was low — 2,000 times his salary — and fearing losing the player to local clubs, Alvinegro chose to sell him.

Last season, Denner played only 17 matches for the Under-20 team — out of a possible 47 — and another four for the Under-17 side — also out of 47 played. Altogether, he recorded four goals and seven assists in the matches he featured in. In total, for Corinthians’ Under-17 and Under-20 teams, he scored eight goals in 58 matches, with 30 wins, 16 draws, and 12 defeats.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.