Liverpool must win transfer race for 'new Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Martinelli' wonderkid

 

Fifteen years on from Coutinho's move to Europe, another exciting midfielder could follow in his footsteps.

According to The Times, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United have all shown an interest in 18-year-old Andrey Santos, but it's Chelsea who have emerged as the favourites to sign him.

Santos plays deeper than Coutinho, operating as both a defensive midfielder and a number eight, and has also been plying his trade at a lower level after Vasco de Gama's relegation from the Brazilian top flight.

He made his Série B debut for the club at the end of the 2021 campaign and then established himself as in the first XI in 2022, starting 33 of their 38 league matches and impressively scoring eight goals.

He's represented by the same agency as PSG's Marquinhos, Newcastle's Bruno Guimarães and Arsenal's Gabriel. The latter duo represent an exploding core of Brazilian talent in the Premier League, along with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, and Santos will hope to join them in the national team in the coming years, having earned a call-up for the South American Youth Football Championship in 2023.

But beyond his evident goal threat from midfield, what does Santos offer?

Well, Brazilian football expert Peter Pankovski, writing for Breaking The Lines, says that he's an excellent ball carrier, utilising a dominant frame and a huge stride. This apparently makes him highly effective in transitional situations.

He's also said to be a competent distributor, able to pick passes between the lines and switch the play, and with a strong off-ball presence. Santos is a specialist at winning duels and is also described as a 'pressing machine' by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Scouted Football, meanwhile, point out his versatility. They say he could be deployed as a single pivot, meaning he would sit alone in between the team's defence and attack and link the two together, but also as more of a box-to-box midfielder. His athleticism could lend itself well to that role.

Of course, it's important to be cautious for now. Santos is only playing in the second tier of Brazilian football and will have to adjust to a massive step-up in quality if he moves to the Premier League. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him sent out on loan at first.

Indeed, Scouted Football believe the key to his success will be how well he 'adapts to more structured football' outside his homeland.

But the beauty of this transfer for Liverpool is that Jürgen Klopp and his coaching staff could mould him as they see fit. They could look to develop him into a successor for Fabinho, slot him further forward in a three or use him in a two.

There may be a degree of scepticism, but it's worth remembering that Arsenal signed Martinelli from the fourth tier of Brazilian football in 2019, and he proved to be a magnificent find.

Liverpool should do what they can to hijack Chelsea's transfer deal, and win the race for an intriguing talent.