Douglas Costa left Juventus to join Gremio on a season-long loan in the summer, but his new club’s form has seen them drop into the relegation zone.
The Rei de Copas find themselves in 19th in the 20-team division, knowing they need to climb up to 16th or higher in order to keep their place in the top division of Brazilian football.
Their side do have a minor advantage of having played once or twice less than some of their rivals around them, but their form will not pose as positive having lost four of their five most recent outings.
Costa’s contract with Juve will expire next summer, and a renewal appears unlikely given that he hasn’t played a role for us in a number of seasons, with injuries hampering his career for our side, and the player himself insists that he will stay with Gremio regardless of whether they get relegated this season.
“A lot of people say other things, if the team goes or if it doesn’t (to Serie B), I’ll stay here, I’ll stay here regardless of what happens,” Douglas vowed to Canal Pilhado (via TNT Sports Brazil). “I came back for that, and I’ll never throw in the towel. I’ll keep fighting for the team to stay.”
It is difficult to gauge whether the winger is simply stating that he will see out his current loan deal which lasts until the end of his Juve deal, or whether he would agree to sign permanently for the club next summer even if they are relegated, but it does seem crazy that a team such as Gremio would be threatened with relegation.
Douglas has just two goals and two assists from his 19 Serie A outings this term, and you would hope he could improve on that if he is serious about helping his side avoid relegation to the second tier.
Patrick
