The comings and goings in the Brasileirão
July 17, 2012
The Brasileirão may only be a quarter of the way through but this is the stage of the season where many players are on the move. European clubs are looking for new talent and generally the most promising Brazilian prospects end up leaving the country.
That said, the increasing financial strength of the domestic game has meant that stars such as Neymar are not automatically Europe bound after a handful of games in their native land. July is also a month for plenty of player movement between Brazilian clubs and there can be dramatic changes in squad make up from when the season commenced. Interestingly this year has also witnessed the influx of a couple of high profile foreign names into the Brazilian championship.
The addition of Cassio Ramos, in goal looks to have been a shrewd bit of business. The imposing young keeper who was previously at Sparta Rotterdam has already made key saves in the few games he has started after taking over from the dropped Julio Cesar. Most notably against Vasco in the quarter finals when he managed to get a faint touch on the ball to deflect a Diego Sousa effort around the post. It was a crucial moment in the game and had Corinthians conceded they would have more than likely been facing yet another year of false promise.
Chicão and Castan have been commanding in the central defensive positions flanked by the captain Alessandro at right back with Fabio Santos on the left who has been particularly impressive with his attacking runs providing support to the forward players.
Roma have paid 5.5 million euros for the services of Leandro Castán from Corinthians. The 25-year-old defender was instrumental in the Brazilian club's first Libertadores title this year and this could very well turn out to be a very shrewd signing by the Italian club.
Chelsea look set to contract the attacking midfielder Oscar from the Porto Alegre side Internacional. A highly skillful player, Oscar has already been capped several times and was key in the Brazilian victory of last year's U20 World Cup. In fact he scored a hat trick against Portugal in the final. He is young and looks to have great potential and can add a creative spark to the Chelsea midfield.
Oscar may well be on his way out but Internacional have made a big name signing themselves in Diego Forlan. The Uruguayan international, named best player at the 2010 World Cup has enjoyed a late flourish in his career. If he links up well with the attacking midfielder Dagoberto then there is no reason why Internacional cannot be serious contenders for this year's title.
The Rio based club, Botafogo, have agreed terms with Milan to bring Clarence Seedorf to Brazil in a two year deal. The highly experienced Dutch midfielder has played in Holland, Spain and most recently Italy where he spent the last ten years of his career.
Botafogo which boasts Garrincha as its most famous ex-player are currently sitting in fourth spot in the league. The aim undoubtedly will be for the club to maintain this position at least which would ensure a place in the Libertadores. His experience and influence may well have a very positive impact on the club and his team mates.
The striker Borges has left Santos and will now represent Cruzeiro. He was a member of the Santos team that won last year's Libertadores and also participated in the World Club championship in December. The 2011 top goalscorers ability will certain be welcomed by Cruzeiro who will be looking to kickstart their season in which they have amassed just 14 points from their first 9 games.
© Paul Tobitt & Soccerphile.com
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