Signed during the midyear transfer window, Wesley, João Costa and Lucho Rodríguez left Middle Eastern football in search of regular playing time, but have yet to establish themselves in Cruzeiro's starting lineup.
Coach Artur Jorge explained the decision to bring in the trio, highlighting the squad's urgent needs following injuries to key players and the Minas Gerais club's financial constraints.
In an interview with Rádio Itatiaia, the coach explained that the idea was to recruit young players eager to develop who could fill the gaps left by Sinisterra and, above all, Gabriel Pec. Pec had been the coach's main transfer target but suffered a serious injury, forcing the board to change course.
Of the signings from Arab football, Wesley has played the most: 12 appearances (five starts), with a goal on his debut. Recently, however, the former Corinthians player has slipped down the pecking order and has only featured off the bench. João Costa, whose loan from Al-Ettifaq cost around R$7 million, according to ge, has made nine appearances without scoring and has not even made the matchday squad for the last three league games. Meanwhile, Uruguayan Lucho Rodríguez, who joined on a free loan from Neom, has played seven games and provided two assists.
"They are quality players, but they need time and opportunities to establish themselves. Wesley has already shown tremendous ability at Corinthians, so much so that a Saudi club bought him," Artur Jorge said in their defense.
Behind the scenes of the signings
The Portuguese coach also stressed that he is fully involved in building Cruzeiro's squad. According to him, every signing undergoes his assessment to confirm whether the player's profile fits the team's style of play.
Artur Jorge also lamented the impact on the defense of key departures during the transfer window. "Losing Christian and Kaiki upset our defensive balance. Kaiki, for example, is still the player with the most ball recoveries in our squad. We tried to compensate by bringing in Gabriel Rojas, a fullback who was even on Argentina's preliminary squad list," the coach concluded.
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