André, a Brazilian midfielder, is about to finalize his transfer to Wolves; an official announcement is imminent, but who is he?
After months of talks with many other Premier League teams, Wolves and Fluminense midfielder André are said to have agreed on a cost of approximately £18.5 million plus £2.5 million in add-ons.
Tomorrow, the Brazilian is scheduled to travel to England in order to finalize the relocation and undergo medical testing.
In addition, Sam Johnstone, the goalie for Crystal Palace, is rumored to be leaving and heading to Wolves for an agreed-upon cost of £10 million.
Joao Gomes, the current midfield player, has been the subject of transfer rumors this summer, with reports linking him to a move abroad. André is anticipated to join the squad and immediately establish himself as a major player while also serving as Gomes’ early replacement.The squad is in need of players in numerous places, so the transfer raises more concerns than it does answers. Still, the defensive line might be covered by the addition of another defensive midfielder.
Fans of Wolves will hope to get a good player for the money invested, and based on his stats, it looks like he’ll succeed in the Premier League with Gomes.
André, who is he? In September 2020, the 23-year-old made his Fluminense debut in a defeat to Sport Recife away from home.
In July 2021, André scored his first goal as a professional as he defeated rivals Flamengo 1-0 on the road by scoring the game’s final goal. He took the field for the first time in the Copa Libertadores final, which his club and he won 2-1. It was his first major championship.
The midfield player was named the best defensive midfielder in Brazil, and he was included in the Copa Libertadores 2023 team of the year in addition to the Série A team of the year in 2022.
A defensive midfielder with success who has shown early in his career that he is a winner and is cut out to play at the highest level of the game.
André’s skill to pass The 23-year-old plays like Gomes does, earning possession of the ball and displaying superior passing ability.
André had the best pass completion percentage in the league in 2023 and 2024, 94% of the time, in 43 Série A games; Gomes, on the other hand, averaged just 80% in his two seasons at Wolves.
An accurate long ball to dislodge a defensive block and create an opening for an attack is something the Wolves team lacked last season due to the absence of both Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.
Tommy Doyle made the most attempts for Wolves with 178, although he only finished 59% of them. André, on the other hand, played 207 long balls with an accuracy rate of 80%, demonstrating his variety in passing.The Fluminens midfieldercompleted 185 passes last season, more than any other Wolves player. Gomes, on the other hand, only completed 101 passes, demonstrating his forward-thinking mindset as opposed to his tendency to only pass backwards and sideways.
In addition to his progressive passes, André also finished more passes into the final third than any other Wolves player last season (223 total, with Max Kilman having the most).
Still, the fact that a defender completed the most passes into the final third highlights the Wolves midfield’s lack of originality and passing ability, an area in which the Brazilian can still make improvements.
What role does André play for the Wolves? Although defensive protection is a strength of the current Wolves midfield, André can still make a contribution.
Mario Lemina and Gomes, two Brazilians who rank second and third respectively with 128 tackles and 74 wins, both have outstanding defensive stats as they are in the top 10 for tackles and tackles won from the previous season.
Even though André isn’t quite able to reach those stats, he may still make an impact on the game by comparing his defensive skills to those of Doyle, who is undoubtedly Wolves’ finest ball passer.
Last season, André won 1.3 tackles per game on average and the Brazilian recorded more combined tackles and interceptions per ninety minutes than Doyle, who averaged less than one tackle per game.
Given that André, Gomes, and Lemina can all handle different facets of the game, a midfield threesome could be effective.
Lemina contributed the most goals and assists of any midfield player during the previous season, Gomes was second in the league in tackles, and André led Série A in passes completed.
Perhaps the Wolves recruitment staff has prioritized defensive cover in front of the back four rather than in it, which could work well, in response to the supporters’ outcry for another central defender.
It may take a bit of settling into English football for André to prevail but just like Gomes, it will hopefully turn out to be a success for the midfielder.
Read more news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply