Former Man United star Memphis Depay has been labelled the ‘main culprit’ for Corinthians’ problems with the Brazilian giants fighting to avoid relegation.
Corinthians, whose squad also includes Jesse Lingard, are currently 16th in the Brazilian top flight after a run of eight straight defeats.
The latest defeat came on Sunday with the club losing 4-1 to second-placed Palmeiras.
It was announced ahead of the match that legendary Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf will take charge of the team, replacing Fernando Diniz, who was sacked last week.
Seedorf’s last coaching role came seven years ago with the Cameroon national team, while he previously had underwhelming spells at his former club AC Milan, as well as Shenzhen FC and Deportivo La Coruna.
According to Brazilian newspaper Globo, Corinthians’ owners sought the approval of Depay before confirming Seedorf’s appointment as manager.
Memphis Depay has come under fire with Corinthians battling to avoid relegation
The club were reported to have turned to the Dutchman after being rejected by several coaches.
Depay has been one of Corinthians’ key players since joining in 2024, with the forward scoring 12 times and providing 10 assists last season as the club won the Copa do Brasil and the Supercopa do Brasil.
The Dutchman, however, has contributed just one goal and two assists in 23 appearances this season, and has been seen by one of the club’s former players as one of the main reasons for their struggles.
Craque Neto, who scored 80 goals in 228 games for the club, claimed Depay and the club’s ownership are at risk of destroying the club.
‘For me, he [Depay] is the biggest incompetent and he’ll stay that way,’ he said on Radio Craque Neto.
‘It’s unbelievable what he’s doing to Corinthians.
‘It hurts, it makes you want to cry to see the prestige he has, he’s set the club on fire.’
Depay has been labelled as ‘one of the main culprits’ and accused of ‘trying to destroy’ the club by one of its former players
Concerns have also been raised over the appointment of Clarence Seedorf, who will take up his first coaching job in seven years as the club battles to avoid relegation
The former forward turned radio commentator was also critical of the appointment of Seedorf after his long spell out of coaching.
‘Now they’ve hired Clarence Seedorf, who’s also Dutch. This company, whose name I don’t even know, has hired Seedorf,’ he added.
‘They’re going to destroy Corinthians, they’re all opportunists, that’s what’s happening.
‘For me, Memphis is the main culprit for what’s currently happening at Corinthians.’
Corinthians director of football Marcelo Paz has defended the appointment of Seedorf, who has joined until the end of the season.
‘A name like Seedorf’s transcends,’ he said.
‘It’s not that he arrived somehow, it’s a name we had access to, we identified him as a leader, a winner, a guy who decided to resume his coaching career.
‘He was decided for next year, but the invitation from Corinthians came up and he wanted to come here. It’s important for us to have someone who has the desire, and he wanted to.
‘We understand that he’s a guy who will arrive with a lot of energy, spirit, and knowledge.
‘It’s very clear to him in our initial conversations what we need at this moment: pragmatism, winning games, scoring points, and finishing the year with a good score, already thinking about next year.’
Seedorf will take charge of his first match when Corinthians host Vitoria next Monday.
With eight matches to go, Corinthians are only out of the relegation zone due to having more wins than Internacional, with both teams having 32 points.
