Twenty3’s Under 23s to watch: André
Fluminense midfielder André has emerged as one of Brazil’s brightest talents.
The 22-year-old has excelled in Série A since his emergence in 2020, with his form leading to rumours of a potential move to the Premier League.
Fulham are one of the clubs to have been linked with André as they search for a possible replacement for João Palhinha, should he leave the club in January.
With the transfer window set to open soon, we look at what André could bring to Craven Cottage.
Pass master
The Brazil international, who earned his first caps for the national team earlier this year, is among the most technically gifted players in South America.
No player in the Brazilian Série A completed more passes than André this year (2,286), and he boasted a remarkable passing accuracy of 95.09%.
That does not mean he plays things safe; he ranked first in the division for completed passes into the final third (263).
With such quality on the ball, André should have no issues adjusting to the technical level of the Premier League.
He received more passes than any other player in the Brazilian top flight (1,844), an indication of Fluminense’s confidence in his ability to dictate games.
André’s numbers were even more impressive in the context of Fluminense’s squad, where he stood out in several areas.
He made more successful defensive actions (236), interceptions (139), ball recoveries (277), and long passes (87) than any of his team-mates.
Brain or brawn
There are clear differences between André and Fulham’s Palhinha.
The latter is more aggressive and physically dominant, a player who can dominate games with his physical prowess.
André does not do that, instead using his positional intelligence and technical excellence to influence games from the same position.
Palhinha is far more active defensively than André, making 14.36 tackles per 90 minutes to the latter’s 7.32.
The Portuguese international has won 7.48 defensive duels per 90 to André’s 3.04.
But where Palhinha thrives out of possession, his Brazilian counterpart has the edge with the ball at his feet.
In 2023, André averaged 68.04 completed passes per 90, while Palhinha has managed just 30.64 per 90 so far this season.
Fulham would be losing the domineering presence of Palhinha and his unique ability to consistently regain possession, but gaining a player six years his junior with more ball-playing tendencies.
Fulham future
Should Palhinha leave and André replace him at Craven Cottage, Fulham boss Marco Silva may need to make some tactical adjustments.
In their recent 5-0 wins against Nottingham Forest and West Ham, there were signs of the Cottagers more successfully implementing a possession-based style of play.
They rank 11th in the Premier League for average possession (49.46%) and Palhinha’s ability to regain possession in midfield has been crucial in games where they have seen less of the ball.
With André in the team, there would likely be a need to lean more towards ball retention.
Only São Paulo (56.9%) averaged more possession than Fluminense (56.63%) in 2023, so André is used to being in a team that has the lion’s share of the ball.
And Fulham will know that the midfielder thrives on the ball, unlike a player more adept in transitional games like Palhinha.
That will be something to consider for Silva if Fulham win the race to sign a player who has also been linked with Liverpool and Manchester United.
But the addition of a player with André’s potential would be another positive step for the Cottagers.
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