Stoke City are currently in the top half of the Premier League and if reports are to be believed, they have joined the race to sign Brazilian International, Walace Souza Silva, who is currently plying his trade with mid-table Bundesliga outfit, Hamburger SV. With quality aggressive midfielders in the form of Swiss International, Xherdan Shaqiri and Scottish International, Charlie Adam, the Potters’ manager, Mark Hughes has reportedly asked the team management to sign a defensive midfielder to strengthen his side.
Born in 1995, the 21-year old defensive midfielder came up through the youth system of Gremio, Avai and Bahia, before signing his first professional contract in 2014. The player has represented Gremio 77 times in Brazilian Serie A, scoring a solitary goal, before joining Hamburger SV on the deadline day of the 2016-17 winter transfer window. He was also a part of the Brazilian team that won the Gold Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro.
Standing at 1.88 meters, the player will surely add good value to the defensive midfield of the Potters, but he is still an untested quality in the Premier League and may take the time to hit the ground running if he comes to England. The player has appeared in 37 matches so far in the 2016-17 season, scoring 1 goal and setting up another for his team.
The player has a good aerial presence, because of his height, and wins close to 2 aerial duels per game. With a pass accuracy rate of 82.9%, he is on par with the top players in Europe, but only time will tell us if he can achieve success in England. The Premier League is a different ball game altogether and it gets physical at times. Walace’s concentration will come in handy for the Potters in the Premier League, but he has to learn to release the ball more quickly.
Walace likes to test the opposition goalkeepers from distance and is strong with his passing, but has to work on his long passes as well to achieve success in the Premier League as the transition game is prominent in England. The player is a counter-attacking threat for the opposition and this attribute will surely impress Mark Hughes, as Stoke City is one of the few sides, which likes absorbing pressure from the opposition and break on the counter.
We have to wait and see until the end of the summer transfer window if the deal takes place, but if it happens, the player will be a bargain buy and add value to the defensive midfield of Stoke City.
Statistics via WhoScored
