What’s stopping Jhon Arias from becoming a starter at Palmeiras | OneFootball

The attacking midfielder Jhon Arias, a major signing who joined Palmeiras last month, has not yet had the chance to start for the team led by Abel Ferreira. The Colombian has earned minutes in all four matches for which he was selected, always coming off the bench.

Arias made his debut for Palmeiras on February 21, in the quarterfinals of the Campeonato Paulista, when Verdão thrashed Capivariano 4-0. On that occasion, he replaced Allan in the 33rd minute of the second half and won a penalty that contributed to the rout.

After that, he again came off the bench in the matches against Fluminense, São Paulo, and Novorizontino. In the last of these, a decisive match, he entered in the 14th minute of the second half, once again replacing Allan, with whom he is competing for the position.

Against Tigre do Vale, he had his longest time on the pitch (about 30 minutes) and completed all his dribbles.

Abel’s Option

Despite the fans’ expectations, who hope to see Arias on the field as much as possible, Abel Ferreira is in no rush to make the Colombian a starter. After the victory in the first leg of the Campeonato Paulista final, the coach emphasized the value of having a player of Jhon Arias’ caliber to bring on in the second half of matches and clarified that his current absence from the starting lineup is a coach’s decision.

“There’s nothing missing. The team is doing well, with good dynamics. He is a player who helps us. A team doesn’t play just with the starting 11. Many games are decided in the second half. We need to have good players. He is a good player that we signed. When he needs to start, he will start, and when he needs to be on the bench and come on, he will, just like everyone else. We are all equal. If needed, he will play. He’s an option we have who can come off the bench or start if the coach wants,” explained Abel.

Jhon Arias arrived at Palmeiras during the transfer window at the start of this year. The Palmeiras board spent R$ 154 million to bring the player from Wolverhampton, England. As he adapts to his new club, Arias is preparing with the squad for the second leg of the Paulista final, which will take place on Sunday.

Second Leg Match Details

Match: Novorizontino vs Palmeiras Competition: Campeonato Paulista (Final, second leg) Date and time: March 8, 2026 (Sunday), at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Estádio Dr. Jorge Ismael de Biasi, in Novo Horizonte (SP)

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