Turnaround? Luan wins over Roger, gains ally for new deal | OneFootball

The more attentive São Paulo fan must have noticed that in recent weeks speculation about the club’s plans to sign a defensive midfielder has disappeared from the news.

There is an explanation for that. Coach Roger Machado is absolutely convinced that Luan has been performing well enough to remain at Morumbi after his contract expires in December.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, the manager has become one of the strongest supporters of renewing the midfielder’s contract, having approved of his performances in the team’s last two Copa Sudamericana matches, when he started.

It is quite a turnaround, given that Luan had been included on some lists of players the board was willing to let go since the start of the year. He was also one of the indirect reasons behind Hernán Crespo’s dismissal, after being surprisingly named in the starting lineup for the Paulista Championship semifinal against rivals Palmeiras.

But with injuries to Pablo Maia and Marcos Antônio, along with the physical wear and tear of other midfielders in the squad, such as Bobadilla and Danielzinho, Luan regained his place in the group. The No. 33 has not been left out of the squad for a match since the win over Primavera in the Paulista on February 7. This season, he has made 11 appearances, four as a starter, in addition to being included in the squad for another ten matches. In other words, out of São Paulo’s 29 matches this year, the midfielder has been absent only seven times.

It is undoubtedly a comeback. Even more so for a player who raises more doubts than certainties. Developed at Cotia, Luan has been part of São Paulo’s senior squad since 2019. After his peak in 2021, when he scored the goal that won the state title, he had more low points than high ones, even being loaned to Vitória in 2024 and training separately after returning from the Bahia club the following year.

It was only with Crespo’s return, the same coach from 2021, that Luan was called up again, though without the consistency he has shown this season.

For now, the issue of renewing Luan’s contract is being handled cautiously. São Paulo will wait for the break in the calendar for the World Cup to discuss the matter. An initial contact between the board and the player’s camp indicated that his priority is to remain at Morumbi.

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