Four days after being sold to Nottingham Forest, Brazilian left-back Cuiabano is already back at Botafogo on loan. Marinakis and Textor are just playing games at this point, and even the player himself seems to have been caught off guard.
Local outletGlobo Esporte broke the news and revealed the Brazilian side had been pushing behind the scenes to keep him since Monday evening, and on deadline day the clubs agreed to a loan that will see him stay in Rio until December. But no one knew about it.
The 22-year-old had signed with Forest on Friday, posed with the shirt, changed his Instagram bio, and even posted his farewell to Botafogo fans.
Botafogo had even looked for replacements – with Erik from Al Ain among the names enquired about – but now those plans are on hold. Just like everyone else, the left-back thought it was the end, but according tolocal insiders, he was just as surprised as everyone when the turnaround came.
The player had wanted to stay until the end of the year, finish the season in Rio, and start learning English before moving abroad… and that’s exactly what he’s now doing. Cuiabano, who last played on 3 August before suffering an ankle sprain, will carry on in black and white for a few more months.
The whole episode comes after the original transfer had already raised eyebrows. As we reported earlier, Cuiabano was sold for just €6m, roughly half of what Botafogo had been demanding in earlier talks with Brighton. A discount widely linked to the close ties between the two moguls.
It’s a surreal twist to a saga that had already seen Forest scoop up Jair, Igor Jesus, and goalkeeper John from Botafogo this year. Textor and Marinakis’ “friendly” business ties have drawn plenty of attention, with Cuiabano’s yo-yo move the latest example of how loose the lines can be.
A transfer, a farewell, a presentation in England, and a return all within the same week – even by Brazilian football standards, this one is hard to believe.