Corinthians Rally Around Memphis Depay Amid Contract Uncertainty
Zakaria Labyad had barely finished dragging Corinthians level in Montevideo when he turned the night into something bigger than a point in the Copa Libertadores. One goal against Penarol, one celebration, and one very clear message for the boardroom in Sao Paulo.
Fingers in his ears, Memphis Depay-style.
It was no coincidence, and Labyad made sure nobody treated it as one. Speaking after the match, the Moroccan midfielder used the cameras as a direct line to the club’s decision-makers, framing his equaliser as both tribute and warning: keep the Dutchman, or risk tearing out the heart of this project.
“Yes, of course [the celebration was a tribute to Memphis],” he told ESPN, before spelling out what the dressing room has been saying quietly for weeks. “It's very important for the club to take the next step so that he stays with the club. We've seen what he's done in the last two years with the players, for the club, winning three trophies, helping them avoid relegation. He did a great job for the team, so for the club, for us players, we would love for him to stay at Corinthians.”
That is not a throwaway endorsement. It is the core of the current Corinthians debate.
A squad rallying around its reference point
Depay’s impact in Brazil has gone far beyond highlight reels. Since landing in South America, the former Barcelona forward has dragged standards up, shifted the culture, and turned a drifting giant into a competitive, trophy-lifting side again. Three titles, survival in a relegation fight, and a renewed sense of identity have all arrived on his watch.
Inside the squad, that carries enormous weight. Labyad’s words did not sound like one player lobbying for a friend. They sounded like a united dressing room drawing a line in the sand over a talisman they see as essential to their ambitions.
The problem? Time.
Depay’s current deal expires at the end of July. The clock is ticking loudly enough to be heard from the training ground to the boardroom. Executives are locked in complex talks with three external commercial partners, trying to stitch together the financial backing needed to underwrite a new, high-end contract that matches both his status and the club’s realities.
It is a race between bureaucracy and the calendar.
Injury, interruption and a delicate comeback
On the pitch, this has not been a smooth season for the Dutchman. A prolonged stay in the treatment room has kept him out since late March, the product of a demanding physical transition and accumulated strain. Corinthians have had to relearn how to compete without their reference point in the final third.
His return has been stop-start as well. Just as he moved closer to full reintegration, a minor muscular issue in his left leg during training on Monday checked his momentum. The medical staff remain calm, describing the problem as a normal imbalance for an elite player coming back from long-term inactivity, but it underlines how fragile this phase is.
For a squad staring at a brutal run of fixtures, every training session counts.
A brutal week, a big decision
Corinthians now walk into a punishing, physical stretch that will test both depth and resolve. Atletico-MG visit in the Brasileirao on Sunday, May 24, a fixture that rarely allows passengers or half-measures. Straight after that comes a decisive Copa Libertadores group-stage clash with Platense, where the margin for error shrinks to almost nothing.
Then, a trip to face Gremio on May 30, another demanding stop in a week that could reshape their season.
While directors juggle spreadsheets, sponsorship packages and contract clauses, the football side of the club has a simpler focus: get Depay fully fit, fully confident, and back on the pitch to carry part of that load. His rehabilitation now doubles as a strategic necessity, not just a medical process.
Labyad’s goal in Montevideo bought Corinthians breathing space in the group. His celebration and his words did something else: they dragged the board’s biggest decision back into the spotlight.
The team has made its stance clear. The fans know what they want. The calendar is closing in.
Now the question hangs over Parque São Jorge: can Corinthians match the ambition Depay inspired, or will this cycle end just as the club has remembered how to fight again?
