São Paulo coach confirms James Rodriguez’s departure: “It was his decision”

“The player is interested in leaving,” said Thiago Carpini and there is already a club that contacted the Colombian's agent to hire him

Josué Seixas

2024-02-08 12:01:46

Image Credits: © (Rubens Chiri/São Paulo)

São Paulo coach Thiago Carpini confirmed that James Rodríguez will leave. Although this outcome was no longer a secret, with information linking the 32-year-old Colombian to Turkish football, it is the first time that the coach has made the situation official.

“The player is interested in leaving. It’s not my business anymore. Technically, we know what it represents and has represented for football. It would be redundant on my part. Let’s understand the processes. It was not a technical decision, it was not a club decision. It was the player’s decision,” said Carpini, who has been in charge of the club for less than a month after the departure of Dorival Júnior to take charge of the Brazil National Team.

“Our time together was short, I have nothing to say about the athlete or the human being. What got in the way a little was the load control we did in preseason due to a small discomfort in the calf. He had already had this injury in the national team. We began to take care of him so that he would be in shape as soon as possible,” he added at a press conference.

Besiktas has already contacted James Rodríguez’s agent

The coach said that the departure of the former left-footed midfielder from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich does not imply that the Tricolor has an urgency in looking for a replacement. Without the Colombian, he has just won the Brazilian Super Cup (now called the Rei Super Cup in homage to Pelé) and is undefeated in the Paulista Championship with four wins and one draw.

Thus, James Rodríguez will leave the club he joined about six months ago, with an irregular presence on the playing fields as a result of injuries. Besiktas has already contacted the midfielder’s agent, according to Turkish media, seeking to sign him before the transfer market closes in the country tomorrow.