Carlos Alcaraz was owned by Southampton for 18 months before leaving them for Flamengo on a permanent transfer in the summer window.
The 21-year-old arrived at the Saints from Argentine side Racing Club in January 2023. He was sent out on loan to Juventus in the second half of last season. The Serie A side refused to exercise their purchase option, and he returned to Southampton in the summer.
The Argentine made an appearance for Southampton this season and returned to South America. According to Globo Esporte, Flamengo paid a club-record fee of $20m [£15.3m] to buy him.
Alcaraz has managed a goal and an assist from seven matches for the Brazilian club. He was sent off on his debut against Corinthians.
On Friday, Flamengo suffered a 2-0 defeat against Fluminense and Globo were critical of the former Southampton man’s performance. They say he made ‘a lot of mistakes, in passing, decision-making and finishing’.
Globo state his displays haven’t been convincing, considering Flamengo paid a club-record fee to buy him from Southampton. They add he impresses during training but isn’t able to translate it during matches.
Flamengo manager Filipe Luís was asked if being the club-record signing has impacted the player.
Responding to that, he said: “I can’t get into his head, but he’s a very interesting player. A guy who is a physical force, plays in several positions, dominates the midfield well and, of course, wants to prove himself.
“He has that ambition to want things. The process often takes a while. I’m going to give him all the support he needs to develop and get the confidence he needs to perform.
“The result didn’t help. I think that if the ball had gone in, he would have been able to loosen up a bit more. But he has this burden of wanting to make the team win. Totally normal for such a young player, who has a bright future ahead of him.”
In a fresh blow, Brazilian football authorities handed Carlos Alcaraz a four match ban on Friday after he was sent for a punch against Corinthians. The suspension only relates to league matches.
