Dorival's clear-out: Cédric, Luan and three more out at São Paulo | OneFootball

The return of São Paulo’s professional squad on Wednesday afternoon (17) at CT da Barra Funda was marked by the absence of five players. Goalkeeper Young, right-back Cédric Soares, center-back Matheus Belém, defensive midfielder Luan, and forward Paulinho were released by the club’s board and authorized to report at a later date in order to train separately from the squad. The move comes ahead of the players’ official departures, as they are not part of the club’s plans for the remainder of the season.

The decision was backed by the coaching staff led by Dorival Júnior, who assessed that the five players would have limited opportunities in the second half of the season’s competitions. The board stressed that the separation is not disciplinary in nature, but strictly a strategic decision aimed at trimming the squad and reducing the club’s wage bill. The 16-day recess due to the World Cup accelerated internal assessments regarding squad planning.

The plan for the players’ departures varies according to the time remaining on each contract:

Contracts until December: goalkeeper Young, center-back Matheus Belém, and defensive midfielder Luan have contracts valid only until the end of this year. Starting in July, all three players will be legally allowed to sign pre-contract agreements with other clubs, and have been immediately cleared to look for new teams on the market.

Long-term contracts: right-back Cédric Soares and forward Paulinho have longer deals, valid until December 2027, but will also be negotiated. The latter on loan, to gain more playing time.

In defense, Cédric lost space in the squad after the signing of Lucas Ramon and the emergence of young Moreira, who has pleased the coaching staff and rejoined the main group as usual. In attack, Paulinho, who came through the ranks at Cotia, faced strong internal competition and saw his opportunities dwindle after young Gustavo Santana was promoted to the professional team.

The restructuring is seen by the club’s football leadership as a necessary move to optimize financial resources, opening up room on the payroll for possible reinforcements with a greater chance of earning minutes under Dorival Júnior.

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