Ex-chief explains Memphis move after Balotelli, Gabigol impasse | OneFootball

Pedro Silveira, former Corinthians financial director, once again commented on the behind-the-scenes details of Memphis Depay’s signing at a time when the forward is negotiating a contract renewal with the club. The Dutchman, signed in September 2024, arrived at Parque São Jorge amid a delicate situation on the pitch, with the team struggling in the Brazilian Championship.

According to the former executive, the board understood that it needed to use the R$ 57 million provided for in the contract signed with Esportes da Sorte to bring in a player with major media appeal. Before landing on Memphis, however, other players were analyzed by the black-and-white club’s department. Among them were Italian striker Mauro Balotelli and Gabigol, who at the time was still playing for Flamengo. Despite initial talks with both, neither negotiation moved forward.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“I was one of the people who handled this inside Corinthians. To give some context, we had just renewed the sponsorship with Esportes da Sorte and there was a budget of R$ 57 million over two years earmarked for a media star. So we needed to find someone with a huge impact, someone who would come to Corinthians and unlock that money from the contract,” he began during an appearance on the Humans of Faria Lima Podcast.

“The first name that came up was Balotelli. We had the initial conversations, but obviously it didn’t make financial sense. The second name we tried was Gabigol, but he still had a contract with Flamengo. We started a conversation, but it didn’t move forward. Time went by, the midyear transfer window was closing, and since there was no statutory football director, only the executive director, who was Fabinho, I and other directors ended up playing the role of football director alongside the president,” he added.

The turning point in the search for a signing came after a defeat to Fortaleza. Bothered by the team’s situation in the Brasileirão, club officials began looking for alternatives available on the market. That was when Memphis’ name came up in a search carried out on Transfermarkt, a platform specializing in transfers and player statistics. From there, the first contacts with the Dutchman’s representatives began.

“I remember it was after a defeat. Corinthians were in 18th place in the league. It was a Sunday, around 10 p.m., when my phone rang. It was one of the directors. We started talking: ‘Man, Corinthians can’t score, it’s tough.’ We had lost 1-0 to Fortaleza. So we said: ‘We need to find someone. Let’s use that Esportes da Sorte money,’” Silveira said.

“We started looking. We went on the internet and searched for ‘free agent player.’ Then Memphis’ name came up. We went on Transfermarkt, a site that shows players’ values, got the email of his lawyers, who at the time also acted as his representatives. We sent the email at 10:30 p.m. Brazil time: ‘Hi, how are you? This is Pedro Silveira, CFO of Corinthians. I’d like to talk about Memphis Depay. We’d really like him to play for Corinthians and would like to schedule a meeting with you.’ I already had nothing to lose. We went to sleep with our heads full and woke up the next day to the reply: ‘Let’s talk.’ The meeting was set for 5:30 p.m. in Europe, 12:30 p.m. in Brazil, and the talks began,” he continued.

According to Pedro Silveira, one of the biggest obstacles during the talks was convincing the forward’s camp that Corinthians would be able to meet the financial commitments it was taking on. The former executive also recalled that the contract was structured with targets and performance bonuses, clauses that later increased the amounts owed to the player.

“The lawyers questioned it: ‘Corinthians don’t pay. We’re seeing that in every newspaper.’ So I replied: ‘As long as I’m here, I guarantee it. You can trust that we’ll have the funds to pay.’ It was one or two weeks of negotiations. We were at the limit of what we could offer,” he said.

“So much so that we didn’t pay a signing bonus. As a free agent, Memphis could ask for a signing bonus because he had market value. We told him: ‘We don’t have money for that. We’ll put in some amount if you hit targets.’ And then he went out and hit every target, more than expected, more than imagined,” he added.

Another remarkable episode happened when an offer from Saudi football entered the race for the forward. According to Silveira, the offer was significantly higher than Corinthians’. Even so, a statement by Netherlands national team coach Ronald Koeman ended up influencing the outcome of the negotiations.

“There came a point in the negotiation when the representatives said: ‘The Saudi Arabia offer is almost double yours. Obviously the player would rather go to Brazil than Saudi Arabia, but if you don’t improve something, there’s no way.’ I hung up the phone and asked for some time to think about what we would do. Talking internally at Corinthians, we understood there was nothing more we could do. We were at the limit,” he commented.

“The next day, the Netherlands squad list came out. Memphis already knew he wouldn’t be in it. But there was a player who had left Ajax to play in Saudi Arabia and was left off the list. Ronald Koeman was asked why, and he replied: ‘For me, whoever goes to Saudi Arabia has lost their sporting ambition and won’t be called up anymore.’ The guy made that statement right in the middle of our negotiation. Shortly afterward, my phone rang. I held my position and said I would not improve the offer. In the end: we managed to get the deal done,” he recalled.

Looking back on the Dutchman’s time at Parque São Jorge, Pedro Silveira described the signing as one of the club’s greatest recent successes. In his view, the sporting and financial gains outweighed the costs involved in the operation.

“In my opinion, it was the best contract of the century after Ronaldo, because it generated a gigantic financial return. People usually look only at the cost of the operation, but what about the return? There was appreciation of other players, increased revenue, higher ticket sales and, above all, the help in avoiding relegation. If the team goes down, it loses at least R$ 500 million in revenue from one season to the next. Without a doubt, the Memphis case at Corinthians was a huge success,” Pedro Silveira concluded.

Since arriving at Parque São Jorge, Memphis Depay has made 79 appearances for Corinthians, scoring 20 goals and providing 15 assists. The current contract of the No. 10 is valid until July 31, but the black-and-white board has already presented a proposal to extend the deal and is awaiting the player’s decision about his future.

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