'He's set the club on fire!' - Ex-Man Utd star Memphis Depay branded 'main culprit' in Corinthians crisis after EIGHT consecutive defeats as Clarence Seedorf takes charge of relegation-threatened giants

Corinthians find themselves mired in a disastrous run of form, currently sitting 16th in the Brazilian top flight. An alarming streak of eight consecutive league defeats culminated in a heavy 4-1 loss to second-placed Palmeiras on Sunday.

The dire on-pitch situation prompted the dismissal of head coach Fernando Diniz last week. In a desperate bid to salvage their campaign, the board appointed Netherlands icon Clarence Seedorf ahead of the Palmeiras clash.

Reports from Brazilian outlet Globo suggest the club struggled to find a willing successor, facing rejection from multiple candidates. Management reportedly consulted Depay before finalising Seedorf's arrival, seemingly leaning on the forward's influence to secure his compatriot's signature.

Depay enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in 2024, registering 12 goals and 10 assists to help secure both the Copa do Brasil and the Supercopa do Brasil. However, a drastic drop in productivity - managing just one goal and two assists in 23 appearances this term - has drawn furious criticism.

Craque Neto, who scored 80 goals in 228 games for Corinthians, launched a scathing attack on the Dutchman. Speaking on his podcast Radio Craque Neto, the ex-forward held nothing back when assessing Depay's impact on the struggling side.

"For me, he [Depay] is the biggest incompetent and he'll stay that way," Neto declared. "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."

Neto also heavily criticised the club's hierarchy and their latest managerial appointment. "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."

Seedorf arrives with a mixed coaching resume. His previous stints include underwhelming spells at AC Milan, Shenzhen FC, and Deportivo La Coruna, while his last role with the Cameroon national team ended seven years ago. Despite his lengthy absence from the dugout, Corinthians director of football Marcelo Paz strongly defended the hire.

"A name like Seedorf's transcends," Paz explained. "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."

Paz emphasised the necessity for an immediate turnaround to preserve their top-flight status. "We understand that he's a guy who will arrive with a lot of energy, spirit, and knowledge," he continued. "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's tenure officially begins next Monday when Corinthians host Vitoria. The fixture marks the start of a gruelling eight-game sprint to the finish line for the embattled squad, which also features former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.

The Sao Paulo outfit face an incredibly tight survival race. Corinthians sit level on 32 points with Internacional, hovering just outside the relegation zone solely by virtue of having secured more wins than their rivals.