Diego Ribas welcomes Thiago Almada, backs Arrascaeta as Flamengo talks face hurdles | OneFootball

Club idol Diego Ribas, who led the squad for seven years, has welcomed Flamengo’s move for Thiago Almada, while insisting the No 10 role remains safe with Arrascaeta.

“In terms of a No 10, we are very well served with Arrasca, who is a star. As for Almada, good players are always welcome in a squad like Flamengo’s. He is an excellent player,” said Diego Ribas to Jornal dos Sports at the Instituto Neymar Jr charity auction in São Paulo.

Despite his welcome, Flamengo are finding it difficult to negotiate for Almada, with River Plate also in the race and the Argentine waiting for another European offer.

Talks with Atlético de Madrid are valued at over 20 million euros, R$119 million. Director of football José Boto has travelled to Buenos Aires in recent days and hopes to resolve the matter quickly.

Arrascaeta, crowned the 2025 King of America, has endured a complicated 2026 so far, with an early dip in form, two successive injuries and a World Cup group-stage exit with Uruguay.

Flamengo’s next outing in 2026 is on Sunday 9, at 19:30 Brasília time, when they host Vitória at the Maracanã, with Thiago Almada not involved.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”