A week ago, when West Ham United had an agreement to sign Fabricio Bruno from Flamengo, the Brazilian media was wondering whether he would have a farewell match in the city derby against Vasco da Gama on Sunday.
Well, the player ended up rejecting the move to the Hammers after failing to reach a personal agreement with the English side. And last night he was a starter in the 6-1 win over their arch rivals, with some confidence he’s staying at his club for now.
With many reasons to celebrate, Flamengo vice-president Marcos Braz spoke to the local media after the match. Globo Esporte features some of his quotes about the agreement with West Ham and Fabricio Bruno deciding not to join the Hammers.
“It was a pleasant surprise for us. The money was good, but I prefer Fabrício here. For us, it changes absolutely nothing. Of course, the money would be good, we’d have to go to the market to buy another player, but there’s no problem. We’re very happy here, but we’re really happy that Fabrício Bruno is staying on.
“Flamengo listened to his agents, who are the people who look after Fabrício’s career. They told us that the player was interested in going to England. We sat down, as we do with everyone, and Flamengo made a deal with the team. Subsequently, there was no agreement between the club and the player. This is rare because usually when you come to talk to the club, the player’s situation is already advanced.”
According to reports from Brazil last week, West Ham offered Fabricio Bruno something similar to what he earns at Flamengo, on a shorter contract. The player even had to consider the costs of living in London, as he’d spend way more than in Rio de Janeiro. With the negotiations now collapsed, we shall see if another English club could still come after the centre-back in the coming months.
