Boto on Flamengo signing veto: "If it was Saúl or Samuel Lino…" | OneFootball

Michael Johnston was very close to wearing Flamengo's jersey in the last transfer window

Flamengo was close to signing Michael Johnston in the last transfer window. However, the Rubro-Negro backed out of the negotiations. Therefore, José Boto, the club's football director, opened up about the veto of the player's arrival.

— I think it was a matter of timing, because if he hadn't been the first, if it had been in the middle of the Saúl and Samuel Lino deals, maybe the fans would have reacted differently. Obviously, the job of scouting is to bring in players that nobody knows about, he said, before concluding:

— I come from a country that is quite famous, especially for this kind of move. I came here to find players like David Luiz, who nobody in Portugal had heard of. There is a deeply rooted culture of doing this in Portugal, and here in Brazil, they will eventually have to do the same, he said.

What was the context of the negotiation?

Flamengo had agreed to sign Michael Johnston from West Bromwich Albion (ENG) for 5 million pounds (R$ 37 million at the current exchange rate). In addition, the European player already had his ticket bought to arrive in Rio de Janeiro.

However, the Flamengo board decided to cancel the deal, citing physical issues. As a result, Michael Johnston remained with the English team this season and did not come to Brazil.

Why did they give up on the signing?

According to an investigation by Coluna do Fla, the real reason for dropping the negotiation also involved public pressure from the Flamengo fans. Thus, the club ended talks with Michael Johnston's representatives.

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