In a recent report, Revista Colorada claimed that West Ham United are in talks to sign Internacional defender Vitao this summer. It has been mentioned that the Hammers are eyeing a move to bring the Brazilian centre-back to the London Stadium later this year.
Vitao’s Impressive Rise In Brazilian Football
Vitao has made a solid start to this campaign as he has already put in a few dominant displays at the heart of Internacional’s defence. The 24-year-old has made five appearances for his current employers in the league this season.
The Brazilian talent has been a decent performer on the defensive end of the field based on his average of 0.6 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 2.8 clearances per 90 minutes in the Brasileirao. He has even distributed the ball relatively well after making 86% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Brazilian football (stats via whoscored).
At the moment, Vitao is one of the best young defenders in Brazilian football, so West Ham would do well to get him on board this summer.
What Will Vitao Bring To West Ham United?
Vitao is a good tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to secure possession back for his team inside his half. He doesn’t hesitate to put his foot through the ball when needed and excels at playing his way out from the back. Standing at 1.85m, the Brazilian centre-back can be a strong presence in the air as well. However, he has to find a way to be more consistent with his performances on the defensive end of the field.
We can expect Vitao to bring more quality to West Ham‘s backline in the long run. He is good enough to serve as a good, rotational piece in the East London club’s match-day squad in the coming seasons.
At 24, Vitao has his best years ahead of him but might need some time to adapt to the physical side and high intensity of Premier League football if the Hammers manage to lure him to the London Stadium before the start of the new campaign.
All in all, West Ham should focus on going all out to snap Vitao up later this year as he could prove himself to be a success story at the London club in the long term.