During the Club World Cup, we saw teams from Brazil impress throughout the tournament – with all four teams that entered reaching the knockout stages.
Flamengo were the only team all tournament to beat winners Chelsea, Botafogo defeated PSG, and Palmeiras topped their group. The most impressive of all four were Fluminense, who reached the semi-finals before falling short to Chelsea.
During the tournament, 44-year old Fabio impressed in goal, as well as 40 year old Thiago Silva at the back. One player, more in the prime of their career, who showed what he was capable of – was tricky Colombian winger Jhon Arias.
So much so, the 27-year old is set to join Wolverhampton Wanderers for a deal worth around £15m. Should the move go through, Arias will be playing in Europe for the first time in his career.
With Matheus Cunha joining Manchester United, and Pablo Sarabia leaving at the end of his contract, it is clear that Vitor Pereira’s side need attacking reinforcements. This is a good start.
This move is an exciting one for Wolves. They are not getting a player who will be able to replace the goals of Cunha, but they are getting a player who gives them a serious threat in transition like the Brazilian so often did.
Rather than the same type of finishing, Arias offers top ball carrying and dribbling on the break, and will help get Wolves up the pitch during periods where they are under the cosh.
There is also a creative threat on offer. In 11 Brasileirao games this season, Arias has provided four assists, created five big chances, and averaged 2.5 chances created per game.
During a recent CONMEBOL Sudamericana (South American equivalent of the Europa League), the winger created four big chances and won a penalty. He also had 112 touches during the game, unusually high for a winger, showing how much responsibility he takes.
As a native Colombian, who has spent the last four years of his career playing in Brazil, we can probably assume that Arias is Portuguese speaking on top of Spanish speaking. With that considered, Wolves are probably the easiest side in England for him to settle in at.
It is quite well documented just how many Portuguese and Spanish speakers there are at the West Midlands side. That includes Andre, who played with Arias 148 times at Fluminense. It also includes Yerson Mosquera, who has played with the attacker four times for the Colombian national team.
You can see the instant impact the likes of Andre and Joao Gomes have had at Wolves since joining, and there is no doubt that the familiarity in the dressing room is a big part of that. There is no reason things can not be similar for Arias.
