World Football

Santos fighting to keep Neymar

(PA) Tuesday 8 May 2012
Santos fighting to keep Neymar

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira insists sought-after forward Neymar will not be going anywhere before 2014 and will fight to keep the rising star despite reported interest from European superpowers Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Neymar has long been the subject of transfer speculation, even after the 20-year-old agreed a contract extension last November that ties him to Santos until at least the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

And the Brazil international's future remains a hot topic, much to the ire of Oliveira, who is determined not to let the striker go without a fight.

The player is very happy in Brazil and at Santos.
Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira

Oliveira, whose club could win the Paulista championship this weekend, told Catalan radio station Ona FM: "It's a very difficult week and of course I'm angry when you hear things about Neymar. We are focused on the finals.

"The odds on Neymar leaving before 2014 are the same as zero. I also hope that the player continues after 2014. We are going to compete with Barça and with Real at the end of the player's contract to keep him in Brazil for longer."

He added: "It's not certain that if Neymar leaves Santos that he is only going to go to Barça. What's certain is that he is staying until 2014. After, the only decision will come from the player. I hope to compete with all those interested.

"The player is very happy in Brazil and at Santos. I hope to win the heart of the player once again."

  • User comments »
agermano
agermano (Brazil)
12/05/2012 at 14:11
Also, it is not necessarily true that it is always tougher to play and score in Europe. That holds true for a handful of decisive games in the most important championships (like the Champions League), but that's not the reality in the national leagues. Overall the teams seem weaker now, with two or three clubs winning everything (take a look at the wide gaps in the final La Liga standings, for instance: it's all about Real Madrid and Barcelona).
agermano
agermano (Brazil)
12/05/2012 at 14:08
The true shame is that Neymar can't get more experience on European football without being forced to leave Brazil. He would definitely benefit from a season or two with a top European team, but at the same time this would only reinforce this perennial trend of exporting our stars very early in their careers, which is not good for us who love South American football. As of now, the only opportunity for him to play against European clubs for real is the World Club Championship. That's too little. Time to think about a slightly extended version of that tournament?
LOROUSA
LOROUSA (USA)
11/05/2012 at 10:17
Some thoughts on Neymar. I think he's incredibly talented and the sky is the limit for him. However, I also think it's probably in his best interest to mature some more playing in Brazil before moving to Europe. I also think Oliveira is delusional when he talks about competing with Real Madrid or Barca for Neymar's services after his current contract expires: while Santos are definitely a South American economic power and Brazil's economy is much improved, they're still nowhere close to the European standards. Finally, when Neymar plays in Europe he'll find scoring is much, much tougher there.