West Brom winger Mikey Johnston remains one of the strangest transfer stories involving an English club over the past year. And Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista has now provided the most detailed explanation yet for why the Brazilian side abandoned the move.
Johnston appeared set to leave The Hawthorns in a deal worth around €5.9m (£5m), only for Flamengo to pull out at the final stages.
The collapse became a major talking point in Brazil, particularly because sporting director José Boto had championed the signing and later publicly defended the recruitment strategy behind it.
Now, almost a year later, Baptista (known as Bap) has explained why he was unconvinced.
Speaking to a local podcast, the Flamengo president rejected the idea that Johnston was singled out for a veto. Instead, he argued the club’s recruitment process involves multiple layers of analysis before any transfer reaches his desk.
Flamengo already had alternatives
Luiz Eduardo Baptista explained that Johnston was only one of numerous names being considered at the time.
“That is one name that came up. There are 18 names like that being evaluated,” he said.
The president stressed that Flamengo must constantly weigh cost against benefit and compare potential arrivals with options already in the squad.
He pointed out that the club already had Michael, Bruno Henrique and Everton Cebolinha available on the left wing, while a move for Samuel Lino was also being explored behind the scenes before becoming public knowledge.
“We thought about bringing Samuel Lino, who wasn’t being talked about at the time,” Baptista explained.
According to him, coaches and recruitment staff initially assess large numbers of targets before the list is gradually reduced.
“When people say the president vetoed it, the coach is evaluating eight, ten or twelve players. They don’t evaluate just one. When you get to the semi-finals, there are two or three left.”
Medical concern became decisive
Mikey Johnston’s situation only reached the final stage of Flamengo’s process, meaning the medical department became involved.
It was at that point that information arriving from England raised doubts.
“At the time, what came from England was that he was fit to play 20 to 25 matches a year. Is that player a priority?” Baptista said.
The Flamengo president then questioned whether investing €5.9m (£5m) in Johnston made sense given the demands of the Brazilian calendar.
“We want to play 80 matches. So he’s going to play 20-something matches a year. Isn’t he just another player here?”
That assessment ultimately convinced him to halt the move.
“I heard all of that and said: ‘I’m not bringing this guy now’.”
Johnston’s performances fuelled the debate
Mikey Johnston’s subsequent form at West Brom ensured the story did not disappear.
The Ireland international enjoyed one of the most productive periods of his career after the transfer collapsed, contributing two goals and nine assists before an injury ruled him out for the closing weeks of the campaign.
Those numbers inevitably strengthened the argument of those who believed Flamengo had missed an opportunity, even though his later injury absence suggested there was some merit to the concerns raised by Flamengo.
Baptista, however, insisted supporters do not always have access to the full picture. “We’re not stupid,” he said.
“Many times supporters can’t understand or reach the information that we have. Sometimes you can’t explain why A or B is happening. Someone sees a photograph and thinks they’ve understood the whole film. Sometimes the film takes a little longer to understand.”
The comments add another chapter to a transfer saga that continues to attract attention on both sides of the Atlantic, long after Johnston remained at West Brom.
