Almost cured...

Of the eleven players the club signed for the coming season, three are due to come back from injury in the next week. Defender Alex Silva, midfielder Rodrigo Souto and striker Fernandinho are already training normally and should be ready to play the next match. Their returns have to happen gradually, to avoid another injury and to give them time to get used to the way the team plays. The trainers and coaches don't want to rush their comebacks to avoid any physical setbacks and compromise important results. In the meantime, the fans need to be patient because these 3 players, in their top conditions, will make a huge difference and add a lot of quality to the team.

Couple more signings and still rumors...

Ok, since my last post, a lot of things happened at the club. For starters, the long speculated loan of Cicinho from AS Roma to Sao Paulo was finally concluded and he is now back at the club. He arrived last Wednesday morningfrom Rome and even after an elen-hour flight and jet lag, he managed to play the last 15 minutes of the first Libertadores Cup match and caused a good impression. Fans, press, and me personally believe the club's right-wing "problem" is now solved. As far as the other side of the pitch goes, the left-wing, where Sao Paulo also lacks quality in the current player (Junior Cesar), Sao Paulo is finalizing the terms of another loan. Carletto, who belongs to Spanish club Valencia FC, will arrive in town tomorrow as the eleventh signing for the new season. The Brazilian left wing stood out in Santos FC last season and transferred to the Spanishs side a bit too early. He is not very well known to most fans and will remain as a big question mark until he plays a few games and we can all form an opinion about his qualities. The "Fernandao" saga still continues. The EC Goias forward is a dream of Sao Paulo's management for a long time and it seems like this time the deal will happen. In exchange for Fernandao, Goias is asking for a small portion in cash and 3 or 4 players Sao Paulo is not using. These players are rumored to be: Roger, Wellington, Renan, Wagner Diniz and Adrian Gonzalez. None of these are part of the squad in the Libertadores Cup and will not be missed if they leave. If the deal goes through, even if in these conditions, Sao Paulo's management will have done the trade of the year!

Transfer window now closed

This is it. Nobody else is arriving or leaving, at least for the next six months when the transfer window re-opens. Ok, lets take a look at what changes Sao Paulo FC made and quickly talk about the rumours that circulated the last weeks.

New players arriving: Marcelinho Paraiba and Carlinhos Paraiba (from Coritiba), Xandao, Fernandinho and Andre Luis (from Barueri), Leo Lima (from Goias), Rodrigo Souto (from Santos FC), Alex Silva (from FC Hamburg) and Cleber Santana (from Atletico de Madrid). Nine new players for the season, and out of these, I highly doubt Leo Lima and Andre Luis will perofrm well. Marcelinho Paraiba arrived to be one of the eleven starters and a lot is expected from him, Cleber Santana, Alex Silva and Xandao, whohad a good game last week against Paulista.

On the other hand, Sao Paulo FC had to let go one of the country's best defenders, Andre Dias. After two and a half years at the club and two national league championships under the belt, the club recognized his value and sold him to Italian club, Fiorentina. His departure will be deeply noted, but I am sure Alex Silva and Xandao will complete Miranda and build another strong three-men defense. Another player that left, but will not be missed as much is Arouca, who was traded for Rodrigo Souto. In my opinion, both Santos and Sao Paulo benefited from the trade off as each player can complete each other in their team roles.

As in any transfer window, rumours play a big role. Among several names linked to Sao Paulo in this window, Cicinho, Robinho, and in the last day or two, Nilmar, were the most significant. I would be extremely happy if any of these three joined us, and think that would greatly increase our quality and chances of winning the Libertadores Cup. Who knows, maybe in six months.

In the meantime, we should be happy with what we got and hope our bench is as strong as the starting line-up. In my opinion, the eleven starters in a 3-5-2 formation should be: Rogerio Ceni, Miranda, Alex Silva and Xandao, Adrian Gonzales, Jean, Hernanes, Jorge Wagner and Marcelinho Paraiba, Dagoberto and Washington.

New season is starting, get ready...