Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zenit Alexander Medvedev commented to the source on the situation with the transfer of the midfielder Claude to the Qatari Al-Sadd.
Former president of Palmeiras Leila Pereira reported that the Brazilian club reached an agreement with the Russian team on the transfer of the player.
As always happens, the final decision regarding the transfer is made by the player. The fact that we exchanged draft documents with Palmeiras is also normal practice in order to save time. From a legal point of view, Palmeiras has nothing to complain about; there is no reason to contest this transfer. Leila Pereira and I know each other personally; If she had any questions or suggestions, she could calmly discuss them with us: what needs to be done for Claudinho to move to Palmeiras.
Medvedev explained why the footballer chose the Qatar club:
The agreement was concluded based on the financial conditions proposed by Al-Sadd. And we must not forget that the player will turn 28 at the end of January, when he already has to think about the financial well-being of his family. The life of a footballer, as we know, is very short, and the time needed to create a financial base for future life is short, especially for players of Claudinho’s caliber.
Our conscience is therefore absolutely clear. Once again, I want to emphasize that without a player’s desire, it is impossible to send him anywhere. This applies to both rental and sale. He had three clubs to choose from, the transfer conditions were approximately the same, although for Zenit, Al-Sadd’s conditions were slightly better. But at the same time, when I met Claudinho, I told him: it’s up to you to decide, and he made that choice. Al-Sadd is the most successful club in Qatar, and football will continue to grow in this part of the world, especially taking into account the 2034 World Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.
