More than just having a quiet year and stabilising themselves in the top flight, Santos need to regain their lost prominence in Brazil. Since Neymar left for Barcelona in 2013, the club hasn't won a major national or continental title.
Rumours about the return of their former star, who is on the wane at Al Hilal, appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel. At the same time, they take the focus off the urgent need for a complete restructuring to put the club back among the best teams in the country.
In the entire post-Neymar period, the only trophies Santos won were the two Paulista championships (2015 and 2016) and the 2024 Serie B title.
In the case of the latter, the club doesn't even make a point of mentioning it on its official website. It's not worthy for a two-time world champion club that immortalised Pele and was once the greatest team in Brazil.
The glory days seem far away from Vila Belmiro stadium. Marcelo Teixeira's return to the presidency was enough to get the team out of the second division after Andres Rueda's disastrous management, but it still doesn't arouse much optimism. Discussions about transforming the club into an SAF (a type of public limited company in Brazil), like giants such as Botafogo, Cruzeiro and Vasco, remain timid.
Revolution behind the scenes
Even with the Serie B title in 2024, Santos realised that they needed to restructure in order not to repeat the mistakes of 2023 in 2025, such as signing too many players without considering the squad and excessive changes of coaches. Pedro Martins, the new CEO, is in charge of this process.
He left his post as Botafogo's director of football after a brilliant year to become the central figure in the club's strategic planning. Martins took part in the choice of the new coach, the Portuguese Pedro Caixinha, formerly of Red Bull Bragantino, after the sacking of Fabio Carille.
"The president told me how the planning was going and I was comfortable with the time to make decisions. The best decision is the right one, not the quick one.
"We're here to make the right decisions. We're planning with the coach we want, with the right structure and we'll make the best decisions for Santos. That's the goal of our work," said Pedro Martins.
The CEO decided to sack the football executive, Alexandre Gallo, and took over the management of that area. Santos also dismissed three members of the fixed coaching staff, most notably assistant Marcelo Fernandes, who led the team on several occasions.
Will Neymar return?
Neymar's fate is one of the great mysteries of the transfer window. In concrete terms, the star has a contract with Al Hilal until June 2025.
His future looks increasingly away from Saudi Arabia, and there has even been speculation about a cancellation of his contract to join Santos at the beginning of this year.
Another possibility is a six-month loan until Neymar resolves his situation definitively. The fans, for their part, have been stepping up their campaign to convince their idol to come home.
Indications about Neymar's return to Santos appear tentative on all sides. The club doesn't hide its desire to have him back, and the player has always emphasized his love for Santos.
At the same time, the board made it clear that negotiations are very difficult. What's more, Neymar hasn't ruled out the possibility of playing for another team, such as Flamengo, while he is attracting interest from Inter Miami and Chicago Fire in the MLS as well.
"Neymar has incredible economic power wherever he goes. There is interest from Santos and also from him. If he comes, I don't have to worry too much about the financial side.
"He pays for himself, just with his presence, shirt sales, tickets, etc. But it's a complex operation that doesn't just depend on the club or the player," said Santos' financial director, Norberto Goncalves, in an interview with the Flashscore's Brazilian podcast.
Although Neymar has hardly played in the last two years, the signing of the star would be a huge leap in quality for the squad, which the fans have been waiting for.
The team has important reinforcements for 2025, such as Thaciano and Tiquinho Soares, but the base of the squad is still the same as it was in Serie B. That may not be enough to challenge for honours in Serie A.
Promises without sporting returns
The greatest titles in Santos' history have been won by revelations from the youth ranks. From Pele, Coutinho and Pepe to Neymar and Ganso, passing through Diego and Robinho, the glories are directly linked to the Meninos da Vila Academy. The club continues to produce talent, but this hasn't turned that into trophies.
The clearest example is Rodrygo. The striker is a starter for Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, and one of the best players in the world today, but he didn't win any trophies for Santos. Nor has the financial return on his sale (for 45 million euros) translated into investments that have taken the club to the next level.
The top scorer in Brazilian football in 2024 for rivals Corinthians, Yuri Alberto, left Santos in 2020 for free, at the end of his contract. He only played 25 games for the first team.
Gabigol, meanwhile, shone at Santos, but later became a star at Flamengo. Kaio Jorge, a starter in the Libertadores runners-up team of 2020, is now a standout for Cruzeiro.
The absence of an internal organisation keeping a strong squad together while guiding young talent into the first team explains the long dearth of major titles at Santos.
It remains to be seen whether the plan for 2025 is just to have a quiet year or whether Santos are aiming to regain their lost prominence among the country's giants. One thing is for sure, they will be an intriguing club to watch this year in Brazil.