José Boto's view on Flamengo's possible move for Neymar | OneFootball

What is Flamengo’s real financial situation today? “I’m not going to answer that question, because it’s not my area. I’m not responsible for the club’s finances. Thankfully. I have a great deal of respect for the people, not only at Flamengo but at every club, who every month have to find money to pay salaries, to make sure nothing is overdue. I have a lot of respect for that. I’m not going to speak either from direct knowledge or from what is passed on to me. What I can tell you — perhaps answering the next questions you have — is that the last two transfer windows, which involved very heavy spending, and that’s a fact… One thing can be opinion, whether the windows were good or bad, but factually, in terms of spending, they were two very, very, very heavy windows. And that will not be repeated in this window. That’s what was asked of me. It’s not because I don’t like it — I mean, we all like spending money, don’t we? But I have a lot of respect for that. So, what is certain is that this window will not be like the one in January, or the one a year ago. It will be more modest. But also, you can’t keep going… And it’s not me saying this, it’s your colleagues in the press: that Flamengo have the best squad in the Americas, and so on. I’m not the one saying it. And does the best squad in the Americas need seven or eight reinforcements? It doesn’t make sense. Obviously, both Leonardo (Jardim) and I have already identified one or two positions we would like to strengthen. We have also identified the names we want for those positions. Now, we are waiting for the right moment, so that we don’t spend what doesn’t need to be spent.” Does Flamengo need to make sales right now? “Yes. We need to do something in terms of sales. And that’s what we’re trying to do. Trying to make sales that do not affect the team’s sporting performance. As was the case with Ryan Roberto, which was a sale made largely because the player also did not want to renew. But it was a sale that, in my view of the market, as someone who has been in the market for a long time… Selling a player for 9.5 million euros when he is in the final six months of his contract, I think that’s a very good market move. But those are the kinds of sales we will try to make, in order not to tamper with the main squad. Also to bring in some money so we can really go after those two or three specific things we want to do. Obviously, all of this… All of this can change with one or two unexpected departures. It can happen. Because an offer may come that is so good, and we were not expecting to lose that player, and that will force us to replace him. Right now, though, we have perfectly mapped out, perfectly clear in our minds, what we want, what we do not want to leave, and what we want to bring in.” Can you reveal which positions are lacking right now? “No, and not only for reasons of secrecy. Secrecy is also part of the business. Especially because the things said in the press end up influencing the player’s price. And I have absolutely no doubt about that — it influences the price you pay. But also out of respect for the players we have in those positions. And I think that sometimes, here… I remember that last year, at this point, we were in first place in the Brasileirão. And through the press, it seemed like Flamengo were fighting relegation, because they needed 10, 15 reinforcements. And it was such a lack of… I saw the faces of those players who were here. They were there, in first place in the league, and had qualified for the Libertadores round of 16. ‘We’re doing well. Why this obsession that the team needs so, so many reinforcements?’ Obviously, we did need some. We needed more at that moment than we do today, without any doubt. But… it’s also very much out of respect for the players who are here, who have given so much — and who have delivered so much to you — in recent years.” Why didn’t you sell Emerson Royal to Aston Villa? And more: did you reject offers for other players? “I’m not going to talk about any proposal… or possible proposal, because Emerson Royal is here training, isn’t he? I’m not going to talk about any negotiation. We received some offers for some players, I won’t say which ones. But at this moment, the balance of what comes in, what goes out, and what we have to replace, because that… It’s very easy to talk about the market when you’re not the one doing it. You have a series of variables that must be put into perspective. If I sell a certain player, how do I replace him? Is the money enough to replace him and also deal with any financial difficulties that may exist? That, on the scales, is also part of the decision to sell or not to sell. On the other hand, there are other things people don’t even think about. Selling a player for whom we have no replacement at this stage is not a good thing, you understand? Without naming names, without getting into… There are many variables that make you sell or not sell a player. It’s not: ‘Oh, that’s a good offer! Sell!’ And then what? Who do I go get? And can I get him in time for the first training matches, and players who can be decisive? Is the money coming in for that player enough to replace him with another player? These are things that, often, the people who talk, talk by rote. Because these things are not being managed in their house. It’s us here who have to manage this. And obviously it’s a management that is not just mine; it’s done by me, the president, and the coach, who has a major say in all of this.” The Lucas Paquetá effect: there is a good side, but also a bad side. The good side was the message Flamengo sent to the market. The bad side was the overvaluation when doing new deals, right? Are prices really inflated when trying to sign new reinforcements? “That’s a phenomenon you know happens in Europe and everywhere, isn’t it? When Atlético de Madrid paid 120 million euros to Benfica for João Félix, all the other clubs started asking Atlético de Madrid for amounts that probably weren’t the real amounts they would have asked if they hadn’t paid 120 million for him. That effect exists, and it exists at every big club. And Flamengo are a big club.” Have you recently given up on many players because of supposed overvaluation? “We haven’t given up on that many. But it’s true that, sometimes, we even ask about certain players who could come, just to get an idea of what might be possible. And the price they ask us for is much higher than the player’s real value.” Will Everton Cebolinha finish the year at Flamengo or leave now in midyear? “It’s not that I’m not going to answer because I don’t know what we’re going to do. I’m not going to answer out of respect for the player, and out of respect for ourselves.” Is Evertton Araújo Flamengo’s next big sale? “It’s what I’m telling you. The big sales of South American players to Europe never happen past 24 or 25 years old. Those 30, 35, 40 million euro deals. Apart from a few exceptions for alternative markets, like Russia, it doesn’t happen beyond that age. And he is in that age range, he has quality and, very likely, he will be Flamengo’s next big sale.” Can you say he will finish the year at Flamengo? Can you guarantee it? “No. Because although players have release clauses, and the clauses are very high — his is very high (200 million euros) — I don’t believe anyone will pay the clause. Most likely, he will finish the year here.” Is Pulgar’s departure now in midyear a concern? Because of the low release clause of 4 million dollars… “The amount you mentioned is not correct. But I’m not going to tell you what it is either. It’s more than that (4 million dollars). But…” …But is it still low? “That depends on what low means to you. It depends on whether 5 or 6 million euros is little money for a 32- or 33-year-old player. It depends a lot on your point of view. Right now, though, we are aware of that, we have already spoken with the player, the player is happy here. We are not afraid of losing him.” There was a lot said in the past about issues of indiscipline involving Gonzalo Plata. He stayed and Jardim backed him. Is the idea now to keep him or sell him? “Even if we had considered some departure at that time, the market was closed. In fact, the market is closed, it still isn’t open. So even if we had considered any departure… One of the things Jardim always asked for was that he wanted to see all the players in detail. In a schedule where you play every three days, getting to know the players well takes a long time. You don’t have that period, like you do here (in Europe), of daily contact with the players, daily training. And he always asked: ‘I want to get to know the players well, I want to see the players well, I want to see where I can intervene not only in improving them technically or tactically, but also psychologically.’ And he never asked: ‘No, I don’t want this player here.’ Never, never, never asked that. Never. And one thing we have always done was give him that time so he could understand exactly what he has in his hands. And then, yes, we sit down and see: ‘This position I would like to have, and that position I would rather not have.’” Are Danilo, from Botafogo, and Marcos Antônio, from São Paulo, two names of interest? Is there a possibility of signing them? “I’ll tell you that they are two excellent players. Completely different. Although they play in similar positions, they are completely different in style and player profile. Technically, they are both excellent players. That’s what I can say.” Cristiano Ronaldo recently confirmed that he had the possibility of joining Argentine clubs at the last Club World Cup, which you also took part in. At the time, there was also quite a lot of talk about possible interest from Botafogo. And Flamengo? Was he ever discussed? “No. Never. It was never even brought up by anyone from his staff, and you know he has a very large staff.”

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