Following a handful of punctual signings in the last weeks, Palmeiras now consider the 2018 squad assembled. The five reinforcements address the primary shortcomings identified throughout the 2017 season and any other players – such as Ricardo Goulart or Gustavo Scarpa – will only be considered in the case of particularly interesting opportunities materialising.
On the five newcomers:
Weverton, Olympic gold medalist, will battle with veterans Fernando Prass and Jailson for a spot in the starting eleven. The 30-year-old keeper played the last six seasons for Atlético Paranaense.
Marcos Rocha, the most recent newcomer, takes over the right flank, the 29-year-old arriving from Atlético Mineiro on a one-year loan swap involving Roger Guedes. Libertadores and Brazil Cup champion, Rocha also has a couple of Brazil caps on his CV. He comes with a fixed price should Palmeiras wish to keep him beyond 2018.
Diogo Barbosa had a great year at Cruzeiro and arrives to solve Palmeiras’ problems on the left flank. The 25-year-old had lucrative offers from abroad – Ajax in particular – but opted for the Verdão. In exchange for one if not the best left-defender currently active in Brazilian football, Cruzeiro sees the return of Egídio.
Lucas Lima was brought in from Santos to overcome Palmeiras’ offensively rather stale midfield, in spite of names like Alejandro Guerra and Raphael Veiga in the squad. Moisés was frequently designated with the task, although not comfortable with the playmaker role, as he is much more a box-to-box midfielder. Lima, if motivated, is a heck of a player.
Emerson Santos is but 22 years old and was Palmeiras’ first signing designated for the upcoming season. Previously at Botafogo, the centre-back has plenty of potential but is not expected to grab a spot in the starting eleven quite yet.
In addition to the aforementioned recently signed, Thiago Martins, Victor Luis, Allione and Artur return to Palmeiras after having spent the year at other clubs. Maybe not all of these are expected to remain at Palmeiras in 2018, but will be observed by coach Roger Machado during the initial months.
Machado has been fully involved in assembling the 2018 squad, picking arrivals and deciding which players to do without. Several top players have been brought in, but not much money has been spent – thanks to Alexandre Mattos reaching new levels of efficiency. In addition, unlike previous years, the squad resumes activities on 3 January without any pending issues – an important ingredient in the recipe for success.
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