Vasco set to hit the market in search of midfield reinforcements | OneFootball

Vasco da Gama plans to revamp the midfield for the 2026 season. After a year marked by injuries, performance fluctuations, and lack of consistency, the management understands that the position needs adjustments, even with the progress shown at the end of the Brazilian Championship.

For much of the season, the midfield suffered from absences and only found more balance with the rise of Barros and Thiago Mendes, signed in the last window. Even so, the internal assessment is that some players should be negotiated, in addition to the need to strengthen the sector with at least one more name.

The club's first signing in 2025 was Tchê Tchê, who arrived after winning the Libertadores and the Brasileirão with Botafogo. He began competing for space with Hugo Moura, Mateus Carvalho, Paulinho, Jair, Sforza, Souza, and JP, but none managed to establish themselves consistently throughout the year.

Barros, a homegrown talent, returned from a loan to América-MG after standing out in Serie B and responded with intensity, good marking, and quality in ball distribution. Meanwhile, Thiago Mendes returned to Brazilian football after a stint in the Arab world. Despite a gradual adaptation, he ended the season as an important piece, especially in playmaking.

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Barros, standout in the match between Vasco x Botafogo — Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

Even with the duo in high demand, Vasco intends to increase competition in the position. The idea is to look for a midfielder in the market with good technique and the ability to play box-to-box — a need identified by coach Fernando Diniz throughout the season. At various times, the coach had to improvise more offensive players, like Nuno Moreira and Matheus França, to try to balance the sector.

Among the monitored names is midfielder Pierre, belonging to Tombense. The player played in Serie B on loan to Volta Redonda, performed well, and ended the season at Fortaleza. Vasco evaluates the player positively but recognizes the difficulty of the negotiation, as the Ceará club is interested in signing him permanently. Pierre's contract with Fortaleza ends at the end of this month.

In the current squad, Tchê Tchê and Hugo Moura were widely used by Fernando Diniz but lost space due to fluctuations. The permanence of Hugo Moura for 2026 is still under evaluation.

Jair, who had been one of the coach's trusted men, suffered a severe knee injury in September and was out for the rest of the season. There is still no forecast for his return. Mateus Carvalho is in a similar situation, having torn his knee ligament during warm-up for the first game of the Copa do Brasil final and is expected to miss much of 2026.

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Paulinho in action for Vasco in the 2025 season — Photo: Jorge Rodrigues/AGIF

Paulinho, on the other hand, failed to regain his good form after returning from a severe injury and fell in the squad hierarchy. His contract ends at the end of this month and is not expected to be renewed. Sforza, returning from a loan, is also not part of the plans and should be negotiated.

JP is another who returns from a loan and will be evaluated by the coaching staff. A standout for Avaí in Serie B, the midfielder will have Barros as an example of a young player who returned more mature and managed to establish himself. The expectation is that he will receive more opportunities, especially in the Carioca Championship.

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