Arsenal have joined the race for Brazilian wonderkid Alan Guimaraes, as per Spanish newspaper AS. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder was courted by Spanish champions Real Madrid and Arsenal’s involvement in the transfer speculation will make him an exciting proposition for the coming years in the transfer market.
Alan de Souza Guimarães, or more commonly known as – Alan has been a vital part of Brazil’s U-17 team. Alan impressed in the South American under-17 championship with the Selecao winning the tournament unbeaten.He has continued his rise by flourishing in India at the under-17 World Cup as well, which may well force the Gunners to trigger his release clause of €50m.
Here’s a detailed SWOT report on the Brazilian wonderkid courted by Arsene Wenger.
Strengths
Alan is simply an astonishing technical operator in the final third of the pitch. Naturally, a central attacking midfielder, Alan’s advanced technical abilities coupled with his excellent close control helps him scour the opposition half without having any real troubles.
The 17-year-old is very direct in his approach when it comes to the attacking department. His small figure helps him keep his balance, which ultimately helps him to dribble past opposing defenders even at full pace. In many ways, Alan can be compared with Manchester United playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan. A midfield dynamo who can set up the tempo with his delightful runs whilst also having an eye for that elusive pass to completely expose the defence.
Another admirable trait for the youngster is his set-piece abilities. The midfielder is very good at providing deliveries from set-pieces and has also scored a few direct free-kick whilst playing for the Brazilian youth team.
Weaknesses
Alan is no doubt an incredible player blessed with technical qualities but his lack of physicality is one of his primary weaknesses as a player. He can be shrugged off rather easily, which can be a very deterring factor in the Premier League or in La Liga for that matter.
In addition, Alan, standing at just 1.63m is one of the shortest players in the Brazil U-17s, which prevents him from being of any danger from aerial duels.
Opportunity
Alan Guimaraes is slowly making his mark in Brazil but it will take a couple of years to get settled into the top flight football for the talented midfielder. However, the youngster can be an interesting signing for the Gunners. Considering the potential of the 17-year-old, Arsenal will be confident that he can easily replace Mesut Ozil in the long term.
Threats
Splashing the cash on the 17-year-old Alan is no less than a gamble for any club. It’s worth mentioning the fact that the youngster is yet to make his breakthrough in club football and thus, it might prove to be an impractical decision to spend €50m on a player, who is yet to make his senior debut.
