Rigoni misses target, renewal up to coach and board | OneFootball

At 41 minutes into the second half, when the fourth official's board went up for Negrucci to come on in place of Bobadilla, the scene at Morumbi seemed to be just part of coach Hernán Crespo's strategy to hold onto the win. But it had another meaning: confirmation that the automatic renewal clause in Rigoni's contract would not be triggered, since he did not enter the field.

The Argentine had been signed at the beginning of September, with a contract until the end of the year and a simple condition: automatic extension if he played twelve matches with at least 45 minutes on the field. A narrow margin, considering that São Paulo, even reaching the Libertadores final, would have at most 21 games ahead.

Rigoni's re-debut, against Botafogo, fell just short: he played 33 minutes of regular time plus six minutes of stoppage time, totaling 39. Only in the following match, against Santos, did the forward fulfill the minimum required minutes for the first time. Since then, however, he has not reached the mark again. He played a maximum of 22 minutes, spent two games on the bench, and was suspended for a red card received against Fortaleza, still in the first half.

The contractual trigger, therefore, will not be activated. This does not rule out a possible renewal, but makes the scenario unlikely. To stay, Rigoni would have to negotiate a new contract with the management, something that, according to people close to the football department, is unlikely to happen unless the Argentine has a decisive and consistent impact in the final rounds.

Crespo was asked about the Argentine's future after the game against Bahia, but avoided the subject: “I still don't know what I'm going to do in January.” The reporter tried to press further, asking what would happen if the management consulted him on the matter, but the coach ended the topic before the question was finished: “They already know me. They won't ask.”

Rigoni ended up losing his place amid technical inconsistency and the fit of Crespo's system. And, like him, Dinenno, signed in June, also had an automatic renewal clause and likewise will not fulfill it. The center forward would have needed to reach 25 matches with at least 45 minutes, but is out due to an arthroscopy on his right knee performed last week. According to ‘Gazeta Esportiva‘, his recovery period should be about 20 days, but even if it were now, it would no longer be enough to meet the target.

In the current scenario, both Rigoni and Dinenno are expected to leave the club at the end of the year, ending stints that, to varying degrees, fell short of expectations.

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