Barra Funda shake-up: Luiz Gustavo out despite Crespo’s wishes | OneFootball

São Paulo informed Luiz Gustavo in a meeting last Wednesday (10) that his contract, valid only until the 31st, will not be renewed.

The departure of the 38-year-old midfielder ends a two-season stint, during which he became a silent reference for the team, despite having played only 60 matches and scored six goals.

Recovered from a pulmonary thromboembolism that sidelined him for almost six months, he returned to the field in October and quickly regained his spot among the starters, being the only player in the squad to start each of the last seven matches in the Brazilian Championship.

Although some club insiders claim that “the player wanted to stay,” AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has different information.

At the beginning of the month, we revealed that the veteran had in coach Hernán Crespo the only voice advocating for his stay. An internal dislike developed within the management due to his statements on the Maracanã field after the 6-0 defeat to Fluminense.

The Argentine coach remains one of the player's biggest supporters, seeing him as a positive leader both on and off the field for the team.

According to information initially released by the portal ‘Globo Esporte’, Luiz Gustavo, even at 38, decided to continue his career. AMT had already anticipated that he would look for a new destination.

The opinion is the same as the management, which seeks to rejuvenate the squad and save money. And as Luiz Gustavo's contract ends, it is a matter of combining the useful with the pleasant and taking advantage of the situation. The internal plan is for the club to use young names from the squad for the position, such as Negrucci and Hugo Leonardo, the latter having spent the year recovering from surgery.

The report found that Luiz Gustavo wants to experience new environments, exhausted by the situation at São Paulo. His outburst on the field, although supported by the rest of the team, was a clear sign of exhaustion from the situation the club went through this year.

The management noticed the change in the player's attitude. This is because right after his health issue, Luiz Gustavo talked about renewing for at least another three months due to the affection received from the fans. Things started to sour when the CBF changed the calendar and scheduled the start of the next Brazilian Championship for January. The management said they would only renew his contract if it was for another season, but the player backed down from his initial plans.

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