Jose Martinez on the way out?

The Venezuelan defensive midfielder has long been rumored to depart the club on a transfer and perhaps that time has finally arrived for Jose “El Brujo” Martinez to grow his career elsewhere.

Late Tuesday night after the Philadelphia Union thumped rival Cincinnati FC 4-2 in Leagues Cup play, tweets surfaced on X/Twitter that suggested a deal has been finalized to send El Brujo to a top-flight Brazilian club, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. As of today, these reports have not been confirmed and the timing of the posts allows room for further speculation considering they were posted around 11pm EST after El Brujo played a full match in Philadelphia’s win.

The news was first reported by a Corinthians reporter, Macedo, just moments after the match.

Corinthians are no stranger to MLS though. Just last week, they inked 22-year old striker Talles Magno to a one-year loan deal with an option to purchase post-loan.

El Brujo’s stock rose thanks to his herculean efforts with his home country of Venezuela during the 2024 Copa America tournament in which he helped the club reach the knockout stage only to lose in dramatic fashion against Canada in PKs. Since returning to Philadelphia a few weeks ago, Martinez’s solid form continued including Tuesday night’s outing in Cincinnati.

At the time, not many fans were considering it could be his last. But perhaps it was. And if so, the move is earned on Martinez’s part and a switch to Brazil should only help his career with a chance to thrive in South America.

The report claims the transfer fee is around $2million, a more than reasonable number considering El Brujo’s age recently turning 30 last week on August 7th. It would be a very fitting belated birthday present to provide an opportunity to depart MLS for the physical and gritty midfielder.

Martinez was originally purchased for around $300k and he arrived as an obscure signing, one of Ernst Tanner’s finest. He was awarded a contract extension last summer as well, which likely aided the club when attempting to find a transfer option this transfer window. A sale for $2million at this point of his career seems like a ‘good business’ deal, one of those savvy Moneyball moves perhaps.

But the club are about to begin an important stretch to close of the 2024 MLS regular season. And they have a shot at some hardware in the next two weeks with significant progress being made in the Leagues Cup competition.

If the reports turn out to be accurate and El Brujo is in fact on the way out, the focus will quickly shift to who can fill his large shoes.

Martinez has become a mainstay, a keystone presence in the midfield diamond for Union Head Coach Jim Curtin. His absence is almost always noticeable and the club has struggled without him in the past. He has become a pillar of consistency and a fierce competitor for Philadelphia since joining in 2020.

The Venezuelan has grown into a club legend due to his tenacity on the pitch and fun loving spirit off it.

Fans will likely never forgot his incredible long-range goal last season, his scrap with Gonzalo Higuain, the wild-haired version of El Brujo during the MLS Is Back Tournament during which he ended a match with a bloodied face, tweeting during halftime earlier this season, or his most recent display of passion after a timely Union goal. And let us not forget the iconic moment post-game after the Eastern Conference finals when he decided to crash Curtin’s press conference donning ski goggles and a champagne bottle in hand. There are too many memories to list.

Recently, Philadelphia announced the purchase of a defensive midfielder from France. But an immediate contribution from Danley Jean Jacques, the 24-year old Haitian midfielder, does not seem likely to close out this season.

All eyes now turn to both Leon Flach and Jesus Bueno, the only other defensive minded midfielders on the roster. If the report turns out to be confirmed, it will surely be interesting to see how Curtin deploys Flach and Bueno moving forward. Both have been capable of aiding in Martinez’s absences but neither possess the on ball and vision skills that El Brujo has under his belt.

The Union are in action this Saturday against Liga MX side Mazatlan FC at Subaru Park. Mazatlan entered the Leagues Cup tourney without a win in five matches to start their Liga MX season.