Santos spot gaps and set market priorities, but face obstacles | OneFootball

Santos has identified gaps in their squad and has already defined their priorities for the final weeks of the transfer window, which will close on March 3rd. The club will be seeking two defenders and a midfielder.

According to Gazeta Esportiva, the Santos management believes the team needs to strengthen these two positions to improve Juan Pablo Vojvoda's squad. The main challenge, however, is the club's financial situation, which does not allow for significant investments in new signings.

Currently, the chosen name to strengthen the defense is the defender Marco di Cesare from Racing. Santos formally submitted a loan proposal to the Argentine club last Friday, with an obligation to purchase at the end of the contract.

The arrival of a second defender, however, would be conditional on the departure of another player from the position. At the moment, the trend is for Alexis Duarte to leave the club. The Santos management believes there were mistakes in handling the player's trajectory in the team, and he may be negotiated.

Besides Duarte, Santos currently has four other options for the position: João Basso, Zé Ivaldo, Luan Peres, and Adonis Frías — the latter being in the medical department.

And the midfield?

In the midfield, Santos sees the need for another midfielder. One of the names attempted by the management was Felipe Loyola, who transferred from Independiente to Pisa, Italy. The deal with Peixe was stalled by Huachipato, which demanded financial guarantees from the Brazilian club.

Another failed attempt by Santos for the midfield was for Pedro Vite, currently at Pumas. The management tried to sign the player, but the Mexican club refused to open negotiations with the Alvinegro Praiano.

Finally, another name considered for the position was the midfielder Mandaca, revealed by Corinthians. However, Santos decided not to proceed with the player's signing.

Change of approach

Santos believes they are changing their approach in the transfer market at the start of this season. So far, the club has announced four reinforcements: midfielder Gabriel Menino and forwards Gabigol, Rony, and Moisés.

Without money to invest in signings, Santos has been trying to make fewer 'bets', as was done with the arrivals of Caballero, Billal Brahimi, and Alexis Duarte, for example.

The Santos club has also decided that they will only proceed with new negotiations with the approval, request, and insistence of the coaching staff.

Peixe is also not interested in parting with their key players at the moment. The management received an offer of 4 million dollars (about R$ 20.8 million at the current exchange rate) from an MLS club for Igor Vinícius. However, the proposal was declined.

Departures underway

In addition to seeking new names in the market, Santos is also working to negotiate players with less space. Last Friday, the club arranged the departures of Tiquinho Soares and JP Chermont.

Tiquinho Soares will be loaned to Mirassol, with Santos paying part of the salaries. JP Chermont, on the other hand, will be loaned to Coritiba, with a clause for immediate return if requested. Both contracts will last until the end of the year.

Upcoming Santos matches

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