Cruzeiro’s buyer signals aggressive signings and promises to “oxygenate” Ronaldo’s budget | cruise

Cruzeiro’s SAF changed hands. From Ronaldo to Pedro Lourenço. And the new manager gave indications that the club will be a little more aggressive in the July signing market, even if the search is for specific names at this first moment.

In a meeting with the Cruzeiro team, Alexandre Mattos calls for fans

At the press conference that marked the announcement of the SAF transfer, Pedro Lourenço said that the club will keep an eye on the budget made by Ronaldo’s team for 2024, but that it will “exceed” the planning in search of oxygenating the team for the remainder of the season.

“Gabriel (Lima, CEO) already has a culture of planning for the year, but we will have to exceed it. We will maintain the planning, but, when the window opens, we will give the club a fresh air and we will increase Gabriel’s cash flow. “

Pedro Lourenço, as an investor, was very close to Ronaldo Fenômeno’s management since last year. Now, with “pen in hand”, the businessman wants to reinforce the team precisely to avoid the hardship that the team went through in 2023, when it escaped relegation in the final stretch of the Brasileirão. “Priority A” is to buy Matheus Pereira.

– What we have to do is reinforce the team, improve the level, like Ronaldo improved from last year to this year. Sometimes the title doesn’t happen, we had the title (of Mineiro) practically guaranteed and we escaped.

“We have to have specific names to reinforce the team so that we don’t go through the hardship we went through last year. Alexandre is already working on that. Let’s try to tweak something.”

The main person responsible for Cruzeiro’s signings will be Alexandre Mattos, who left América-MG at the invitation of Pedro Lourenço. Next to him will be Pedro Junio, son of Lourenço.

Despite assuming, from now on, the possibility of exceeding the budget in the mid-year window, Pedrinho is also looking at ways to have more revenue. One of them is to seek classification in the round of 16 of the South American Championship. At the moment, the team is in third place, with three points, four behind Universidad Católica, leader with three games remaining. Only the first placed team advances straight to the round of 16.

– Our hope is that we get through the group stage of the South American Championship to advance. We had bad results in these first games, with a relatively weak team. In football, you think one thing and it doesn’t work. We hope to win the next three games and qualify, that will generate revenue and that’s what we’re hoping for.

Another point of attention in terms of revenue is the fan membership program, which was strong with Ronaldo in 2022, but has suffered a drastic drop since last year. Pedrinho wants to double the current number of members, which stands at 46 thousand.