Tite does not rule out the return of Pato to Corinthians, despite Liverpool and Spurs links

Corinthians boss Tite says he is open to the suggestion of keeping Alexandre Pato at Corinthians next season if his sale does not materialise in January. Pato joined Corinthians in 2013 under Tite, but the two fell out amidst claims of a lack of professionalism from Pato. The situation reached a head when the ex […]
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sambafoot_admin
2015-12-04 02:21:00

Corinthians boss Tite says he is open to the suggestion of keeping Alexandre Pato at Corinthians next season if his sale does not materialise in January. Pato joined Corinthians in 2013 under Tite, but the two fell out amidst claims of a lack of professionalism from Pato. The situation reached a head when the ex Milan striker unsuccessfully attempted a Panenka style penalty in a Copa do Brasil shootout against Grêmio, with the miss sealing Timão’s exit.

 

Tite reportedly branded Pato "an irresponsible kid" in the aftermath and froze him out of the starting line up. In January 2014, he was loaned to city rivals São Paulo. There his form has been inconsistent, but still notably better than it was in an underwhelming season under Tite at Corinthians. The club have been publicly auctioning Pato ever since, barely a week passes without them openly telling the media of his availability and linking his name to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs, Arsenal and even Sunderland and QPR.

 

Corinthians have hired super agent Kia Joorabchian to try and sell him to a European club, to no avail so far. But Tite, fresh from winning the Brasileirão with Corinthians, has not ruled out reassimilating Pato, "I do not know what stage negotiations are at [for his sale]. What can I say that Pato has matured in these two years, he is not the same as when he arrived.

 

"His performance has shown a mature and readapted face. If he returns, he will be welcomed, if he doesn’t, his transfer will be in the interests of the player and the club. If you ask me if I want to rely on high-level player whether I can rely on Pato? Yeah, I reckon." Pato has one year to go on his Corinthians deal and will be available on a free transfer in January 2017.