The president of Corinthians, Roberto de Andrade admitted that signing Alexandre Pato was a financial mistake made by the club board.
The president says that Pato represented great promise in 2013 when he reached the club, but ensures he"s still praying to sell him in January. Talking to Seleção SporTV, Roberto de Andrade was confident of selling Pato as he thinks the player now has a great market value. He said: “Yes [I"m praying to sell]. We know how difficult it would be if this were to happen [Pato return to Corinthians]. I am quite sure [he will be sold]. Corinthians hasn"t been approached by any club. His agent is working with some clubs in Europe, making a survey so that we can sell. He is being very well received. He has market, he"s a great player and is 26 years old. Meets all requirements to play in a big club."
Pato came to Corinthians from AC Milan in 2013 for a club record fee. He added: “Today it"s easy to say that [signing Pato] was a mistake because he did not play well. But when we brought him, it was going to happen. Great player, young age, and we could make a future resale and recoup the money. Now, as he hasn"t played well for Corinthians, one can say that it was a mistake. But we have a chance to recover from the financial mistake."