Bruno Méndez, Corinthians’ Uruguayan defender, could be ready for Flamengo. At least that’s what journalist Jorge Nicola points out, who posted on his Twitter this Sunday (10), that the player received an offer from Flamengo, and would have accepted the amount offered. On the other hand, Timão’s board, which does not intend to lose the athlete at this point in the season, tries to negotiate with the athlete to stay, at least until the end of the season.
Original defender, Bruno Méndez has played the role of improvised right-back in place of Fagner, injured since the second leg of the Copa do Brasil semi-final, and is an important piece in Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s game plan. If the deal with Flamengo is completed, the only option for the position is Rafael Ramos, who has lost space since Vítor Pereira’s departure at the end of last season.
Flamengo makes a proposal for Bruno Mendez, the player accepts and makes a verbal agreement with the Rio club.
Corinthians tries to cover the offer to keep the Uruguayan.
@jorgenicola pic.twitter.com/a3lwQPhONS
— Loucos do Bando (@loucosdobandoo) September 10, 2023
Fans criticize the Corinthians board’s stance on the possible departure of Bruno Méndez
On Twitter, there is no shortage of criticism of the Corinthians board’s stance amid the possibility of losing yet another player for a price lower than the one he was hired for. Bruno Méndez arrived at Timão in 2019, coming from Montevideo Wanderers, from Uruguay. At the time, Corinthians paid three million Euros to acquire the player. In 2021, the defender was loaned to Internacional, and returned to the Parque São Jorge team the following season.
Since last year, the player has been rotating as a defender, and also as a right-back. Despite not being very technical, the Uruguayan makes up for his limitations with a lot of dedication on the field. For most fans, the player was capable of being a starter for the Corinthians team. And the loser in this story, once again, is Corinthians, who must let the player leave, depending on the offer offered by the Rio team.
And whose fault is it? From this mediocre board, which leaves young and good people to renew in the last months of the contract, but with a medallion that always fucks up, we rush to renew.
Duílio and Alessandro are two incompetent posts
— Jonathan Andrade (@J_SAndrade) September 10, 2023
What’s wrong is not losing the athlete, it’s losing him for free.
Another one they spent a lot of money on, and it’s free.
Congratulations, Duilio.
— Bruno Anjos #ForaDuilio (@FreddyGrunge) September 10, 2023
Leave the guy on the sidelines as Gil’s backup, now run after him. I’m just surprised it wasn’t Inter.
— Thiago Vicente (@Thiago_Vicente) September 10, 2023
What are Corinthians’ options for the position if Bruno Méndez leaves?
For the defense, Timão still has the experienced Gil, the newcomer Lucas Veríssimo, and the young Caetano to make up for the Uruguayan’s absence. For the right-back, the club has the option of Rafael Ramos, who has been little used by Vanderlei Luxemburgo, Léo Mana, another option who rose from the team’s youth categories to make up the first team squad, and Fagner, who recovers from injury.
Therefore, it remains to be seen who will take Méndez’s place if the athlete leaves for Flamengo, and whether Luxemburgo will make some type of improvisation in the position.
What is Corinthians’ situation in the Brazilian Championship?
With 26 points on the Brasileirão leaderboard, Corinthians comes from a sequence of three games without a win. Alvinegro drew against Cruzeiro, away from home, and against Goiás and Palmeiras, playing at the Neo Química Arena. Currently, Timão is 13th in the competition, and in the next round, they will face Fortaleza, away from home. The game takes place at Arena Castelão, in the capital of Ceará, on September 14th, Thursday, at 7pm (Brasília time).
If Leão do Pici wins, the Corinthians team will have 29 points, and could move up to 10th place, if Cuiabá, São Paulo and Cruzeiro do not win their games. If they lose, Timão could fall down the table and end the 23rd round in 15th position.
Corinthians’ next games
- Fortaleza x Corinthians, for the Brazilian Championship – Castelão – Wednesday (13/09), at 7pm (Brasília time);
- Corinthians x Botafogo, for the Brazilian Championship – Neo Química Arena – Friday (22/09), at 8pm (Brasília time);
- Corinthians x Fortaleza or América-MG, for the Copa Sudamericana – Neo Química Arena – Tuesday (26/09), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time).
