The 2-0 defeat to Athletico-PR, on August 9, left Santos with 22 points and in 17th place in the Brasileirão. The result increased a problem that Cuca had been pointing out for weeks: the club remains in three competitions, lost players during the season and is prevented from registering new reinforcements due to FIFA's transfer ban.
The immediate solution is not on the market. Until the punishment is overturned, Cuca needs to work mainly with three resources: improvisations on the flanks, rotation of a relatively more numerous midfield and selective use of base players. The scenario is not one of complete absence of alternatives, but of an unbalanced cast between sectors.
The transfer ban still blocks any new reinforcements
The current punishment is related to Santos' debt to Monaco for signing Jean Lucas. The debt recognized in the decision is 2.032 million euros, and FIFA imposed a ban on the club from registering players for three windows or until the pending issue is resolved. The Santos appeal at CAS did not reverse the conviction.
Time still exists, but it is decreasing. The second Brazilian window of 2026 began on July 20th and ends on September 11th, according to the official CBF calendar. On August 10, therefore, Santos still has room to resolve the pending issue and register possible signings, but there is no public forecast of when this will occur.
After the game against Athletico, Cuca publicly asked for the club to be able to end the blockade and spoke of the need for two or three players to increase the depth of the group. At the same time, he acknowledged that he will continue to turn to young people until this happens.
Where the cast is shortest
The relationship to face Athletico helps to measure the problem. Cuca called up 24 players, but had seven absences: Neymar, suspended; Igor Vinícius, Lucas Veríssimo, Moisés, Vinícius Lira, Gustavo Henrique and Pepê Fermino, all out due to physical problems at that time. Among those listed, there were only Gabriel Menino and Escobar classified as immediate options for the sides.
| Sector | Available solutions | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Right side | Igor Vinícius when recovered and Gabriel Menino | Igor had low back pain; Mayke left the club |
| Left side | Escobar; improvisations with Luan Peres, João Ananias or Barreal | Escobar is the only established healthy specialist |
| Defender | João Ananias, Adonis Frías, Luan Peres and, when he returns, Lucas Veríssimo | Injuries reduce experience available for rotation |
| Midfield | João Schmidt, Willian Arão, Christian Oliva, Gabriel Bontempo, Miguelito, Rollheiser and Samuel Pierri | Using Gabriel Menino on the side removes an alternative from the sector |
| Attack | Neymar, Gabigol, Rony, Barreal, Thaciano, Caballero, Robinho Jr., Nadson and Davizinho, depending on availability | There is a quantity, but not everyone delivers the same profile or level of experience |
The right side already has a solution planned within the squad itself. During the interseason, Gabriel Menino started working in the role and stated that he intends to establish himself in it. Against Universidad Central, in the Sul-Americana, he directly participated in two goals playing for the sector. Cuca, however, also pointed out the importance of maintaining his versatility, and the player still had defensive difficulties in his new position.
This transforms Menino into a real alternative, not just an emergency improvisation. The problem is the depth. Mayke left Santos at the beginning of August and was already out of the coaching staff's plans. Without Igor Vinícius, Cuca practically doesn't have a second natural right-back ready to take over the position.
Gustavo Henrique was also officially presented by Santos as a player capable of playing in the middle and on the right flank, but he was injured in his thigh and was out of the squad against Athletico. Your recovery can increase matches without the need for immediate hiring, although it will not solve the problem while you are in the medical department.
The left side requires even more care
On the other side, the situation is more delicate. Escobar is the only established and healthy left-back in the main squad. Vinícius Lira suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, while Rafael Gonzaga was observed by Cuca, but returned to the under-20s after assessing that he still needed development.
The alternatives already mapped are adaptations. Luan Peres knows the role and has worked there at other times in his career. João Ananias also played as a full-back at the base. Barreal offers a solution with a more offensive characteristic, but with less defensive protection.
This creates an important decision for Cuca in managing the sequence. Escobar doesn't necessarily need to start every game just because there isn't another specialist. In commitments in which it is possible to accept an improvisation, preserving the Argentine may be less risky than exposing him continuously in a calendar with the Brazilian Championship, Copa do Brasil and Sudamericana.
João Ananias shows how much the base can help
The main evidence that the youth category can offer solutions is already in the starting lineup. João Ananias, 19 years old, continued after the World Cup and reached the duel against Athletico after playing five consecutive matches. He surpassed Luan Peres in the competition for space and began to receive Cuca's trust.
Other young people are also already involved in the profession. In the relationship against Athletico, João Alencar, Samuel Pierri, Robinho Jr., Davizinho and Nadson appeared. Before the resumption of competitions, Cuca had also used the off-season to observe athletes from lower categories.
The case of Ananias, however, also shows why the base cannot be treated as automatic replacement for each deficiency. A young person can gain space through performance and adaptation; This is different from promoting multiple players simultaneously because there is a lack of experienced pieces. Cuca himself made this distinction when asking for reinforcements after the defeat to Athletico.
Rafael Gonzaga is an example. Despite being a left-back by origin and having participated in the good performance of the under-20s, the technical committee had already considered that he was not yet ready to regularly assume the role in the professional team. The current need may provoke a new evaluation, but it does not make that previous analysis non-existent.
The midfield allows more rotation than the defense
If the sides concentrate the biggest quantity problems, the middle offers more scope for Cuca to manage minutes. Against Athletico, João Schmidt, Willian Arão, Christian Oliva, Gabriel Bontempo, Miguelito, Rollheiser and Samuel Pierri were listed.
Combinations can change depending on the opponent. Arão, Schmidt and Oliva increase the possibilities of protection and control; Bontempo, Miguelito and Rollheiser offer different characteristics to bring the team closer to attack. Before the defeat to Athletico, Cuca himself had already been dealing with the dilemma between bringing together more technical players and putting together a collectively more balanced team.
It is in this sector that rotation tends to cost Santos less. Instead of trying to find a single team for the three competitions, Cuca can vary the midfield pieces without immediately resorting to out-of-position players. The exception is Gabriel Menino: the more necessary he is on the right flank, the less he can be used as a midfield option.
In attack, the challenge is to distribute roles
Neymar's absence due to suspension against Athletico exposed another limitation. Santos did not score and produced one of their most fragile performances at home this season, with difficulty organizing attacks. The episode does not allow us to attribute the performance alone to the lack of number 10, but it reinforces the problem of concentrating creation and imbalance capacity in a few players.
Cuca also has Gabigol, Rony, Barreal, Thaciano, Caballero, Robinho Jr., Nadson and Davizinho, as well as Neymar when available. Moisés was injured at the time of the game against Athletico.
The question, therefore, is less numerical than functional. The coach needs to choose who provides depth, who approaches the middle, who plays inside and who can enter during the match without forcing the team to repeat the same design. This distribution also helps to prevent all offensive operations from depending on Neymar being on the field and able to play for 90 minutes.
Managing competitions also became part of the solution
Short casting will not be resolved by casting alone. After Sunday's defeat, Santos is already committed to the Sudamericana against Macará and, subsequently, faces Vasco in the Brasileirão. The club is also qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil.
Cuca admitted that the time may come to establish priority between the competitions. This does not necessarily mean abandoning a tournament, but distributing minutes according to physical condition, importance of each match and available alternatives. With a shorter group, trying to repeat maximum strength in every match increases the risk of turning a specific shortage into new absences.
Until the transfer ban is resolved, the coach's room for maneuver is clear: Gabriel Menino covers the right, Escobar needs to be managed carefully on the left, João Ananias is no longer just a promise, the middle supports more rotation and the young players can complete the group selectively.
None of these solutions eliminates the need for reinforcements. They just define how Santos can get through the next few weeks without waiting for the market to immediately resolve a problem that, at this moment, also depends on the club's finances.
