Don’t you dare think the Rui Patrício saga is over. Sales at Portuguese side Sporting are taken very seriously, and the goalkeeper’s failed transfer to Wolves last week is still having consequences at the Lisbon side.
This Thursday, local newspaper Correio da Manhã reports that club director Guilherme Pinheiro has left his job. The official was responsible for player transfers, and one of the reasons he’s quitting is Rui Patrício.
Pinheiro had been following the negotiations between Wolves, Gestifute and Sporting, who had agreed a €18m fee for the goalkeeper’s move to the Championship winners.
According to one side of the claims, president Bruno de Carvalho made a late request for €2m more, and that was the last straw for the transfer to collapse.
Last week, Gestifute released an official statement saying Pinheiro was visibly ‘constrained and embarrassed’ when telling the agents that his boss Bruno de Carvalho was demanding €2m extra for the transfer.
Now it seems the former director really felt that way, because Correio da Manhã makes it sound like he’s chosen to resign himself.
Even though Pinheiro is leaving, Carvalho continues with his job as president, and won’t step down soon. He gave a press conference on Wednesday when many people expected him to bend a little, but even when living such chaos at Sporting, Carvalho continues to look as cocky as ever.
