Mailton loaned to Fortaleza, São Paulo still seek full-back | OneFootball

São Paulo agreed this Thursday (25) to loan right-back Mailton to Fortaleza until December 31, 2026. The player's contract with the Ceará club does not include a purchase option.

Mailton arrived at Tricolor in September of this year, after standout performances for Chapecoense in Série B, and played ten matches until the end of the season. Despite some good initial games, his performance declined and he did not win over coach Hernán Crespo, who had no issues with letting the player go, especially after seeing the rise of Maik, who took over the starting spot from Cédric.

The 27-year-old player has a contract with São Paulo until December 31, 2027. With his new northeastern club, Mailton will compete in the Campeonato Cearense, Copa do Nordeste, Copa do Brasil, and Brasileirão Série B next season. Fortaleza will pay the full salary of the right-back.

“Mailton is a right-back in good physical condition, who supports the attack a lot. He did very well in the last Série B with Chapecoense, with several goals and assists. That’s why he went to São Paulo in Série A, and now we managed to bring him in,” said Fortaleza CEO Marcelo Paz.

Tricolor still looking for a name for the position

Now, Crespo’s staff is left with only Maik and Cédric for the right-back position. But they are looking for another name for the role, even before Mailton’s departure, who was already drawing some market interest among second division clubs.

São Paulo was trying to secure the release of Vitinho from Botafogo, one of the most sought-after names by Tricolor in negotiations involving some players with the Rio club.

However, football executive Rui Costa heard from the agents that he wants to wait until the end of the holidays to decide his future. In other words, he wants to wait until January. They believe it’s a move, as his staff might be waiting for offers from Europe.

With the deal with Botafogo becoming increasingly complicated, Tricolor remains on the market searching for a right-back, always looking for options that won’t cost anything. It could be a player at the end of his contract, like goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who will join the club, or through loans.

Just like Mailton himself, who arrived at São Paulo in a debt swap with Metalist, his former club. Tricolor settled the Ukrainians’ debt and kept the player.

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