Arsenal and Manchester United will reportedly battle it out to for the signature of Brazilian sensation Yuri Alberto. The Premier League rivals are keen to secure the services of the 16-year-old Santos wonderkid, who is already valued at a stunning £37.5m.
Alberto starred for Santos in the youth divisions of the Brazilian leagues, scoring a whopping 51 goals in 35 youth matches for them last season. Considering his wealth of talent, a move to the Premier League might be on the horizon for the young centre-forward. Here’s a SWOT report on the 16-year-old targeted by Arsenal and Manchester United.
Strengths
Yuri Alberto is undoubtedly a star of the Santos youth academy. Quick and skilful, Alberto is very dangerous when on the ball. Similar to the qualities of Chelsea’s star striker Alvaro Morata, Alberto likes to keep hold of the ball, and his skill set on the ball allows him to drift past defenders.
Blessed with technical abilities like any other Brazilian, Yuri is also good at dribbling and can sometimes drift into wider positions. He can be a very handy forward for any team, thanks to his adaptability in the offensive third.
In addition, the 16-year-old has a vicious finishing skill, which sets him apart from any other youth player of his age. He is very good at converting chances, which is reflected in his scoring charts. His linkup play also stands at a high level.
Weaknesses
Physicality is definitely a weakness in Alberto’s game. He doesn’t have a huge figure, which makes it necessary for him to have some kind of physical prowess. While he may not have trouble shrugging off challenges from the Brazilian youth league defenders, the Premier League will be a totally different ballgame.
He also needs to work on his aerial abilities. Yuri Alberto is pretty weak when it comes to aerial duels, which can be of paramount importance in the English game.
Opportunity
Yuri Alberto is one of the hottest prospects in the Brazilian youth leagues at the moment. He would definitely have the opportunity to show glimpses of his real talent in the Premier League.
Following the path of Gabriel Jesus, another product of the Brazilian youth divisions plying his trade at Manchester City, it will be interesting to see what does the future has in store for Yuri Alberto.
Threats
The one and only threat in signing the Brazilian wonderkid is his lack of experience. It’s worth mentioning that Yuri is yet to taste top-flight football, even in the Brazilian Serie A. Therefore, it’s hard to make a proper judgment as to how good he can really be.
Although he has shown a lot of talents, it’s still impractical to rush into conclusion only judging by his form in the youth leagues.
