Bournemouth winger Luis Sinisterra has only just begun his spell at Cruzeiro, but inside the club his signing is already being described as one of the most significant moves in recent years.
As relayed by the local press, scouting chief Joaquim Pinto opened up on the process that brought the Colombian to Belo Horizonte and did not hold back in his assessment.
“The Sinisterra deal was tough, because he was in the Premier League and everyone knows what salaries are like there. It was very important that we spoke to the player directly and presented our project,” Pinto explained.
The director revealed that one meeting in particular helped swing the deal, with manager Leonardo Jardim personally taking part. “Jardim was present in that meeting. From that conversation we felt the player became very motivated. It wasn’t concluded yet because we still had to negotiate, and it was a bit tough. But we managed to bring him in.”
Pinto then underlined just how rare this type of signing is for a Brazilian club. “I’d even say it’s a historic signing, because bringing in a player of his age, and who was playing in the Premier League, is very difficult to make happen.”
The Colombian arrived from Bournemouth in August on loan with an option to buy, and has already played three matches, scoring a crucial equaliser in the away win against Bahia. But Pinto believes the best is yet to come. “We know the level he can reach. Probably we’ll only see the peak of his abilities in a few months, because he’s coming off two injuries of some gravity. But he’s a player we trust a lot.”
That caution echoes the line taken by Leonardo Jardim himself, who has stressed that Sinisterra arrived with a physical deficit after his ankle and thigh problems in England. The coach has eased him in slowly, using him off the bench and underlining that no player is guaranteed a starting spot.
Still, inside Cruzeiro there is no doubt about the scale of the move. The club has worked on Sinisterra’s adaptation with tailored training sessions, even sharing footage of his extra work on social media, as we reported earlier this week.
Fans, meanwhile, have already embraced him, celebrating his first goal and speculating about a longer stay after he purchased a mansion in Lagoa Santa.
In Brazil, the message is clear: signing a player with recent Premier League experience was a coup, and they believe the “historic” investment will soon pay off on the pitch.
