Crystal Palace are close to finalizing a deal for Brazilian talent Matheus Franca for around $22m. This is a move out of nowhere for Palace, but adding a rising star is to develop under them is a great move. He plays in a winger/ Attacking Midfielder role, but through his limited minutes, there isn’t a noticeable standout position yet. Franca has the skills, and the talent, to break out in just a short few years.
Matheus Franca's background
Information from TransferMrkt
Franca (born April 1, 2001) in Rio de Janeiro has been with Flamengo since the youth academy. He was promoted to the first team in 2022, and since then has been coming off of the bench to make the majority of his appearances. He is valued at $10m by TransferMarkt, but Crystal Palace have signed him for $22m.
Franca's play style
Matheus Franca has demanded a hefty transfer price, with his skills in limited minutes being the reason why. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, and sometimes winger. Last season, and this season so far, he is averaging 40 minutes a game with 5 goals to show for it. He stands at 6’0 (1.84m), which makes him a attacking prowess for Flamengo.
Matheus Franca's attacking Skill
In these percentiles provided, it is comparing Franco to other attacking midfielders/wingers, in the Next 8 Leagues. It’s pretty easy to tell straight away that the kid has a good eye for goal. He averages a goal every two games, but has been having a horrid time getting his shots on target. He also sems to be overshooting his xG which is a sign of great finishing, or limited minutes.
Franca’s skills transfer to dribbling delightfully. He has a successful take-on 55% of the time, which makes him one of the most successful dibblers in the Next 8. Apart from that it seems that he has as positive mindset to carry the ball up field, and be the guy to initiate plays. I could definitely see him fitting into a Olise role, in a couple of years for Crystal Palace.
Chance creation
Well, when we mentioned similarities to Olise, they stop at the chance creation line. Franca is best at beating his man, and setting up a shot, in fact amazing at it.
When it comes to having to pass to set up these chances, he is some of the worst at it. The good news is that he isn’t expected to already have it figured out at 19 years old.
Franca is skilled, but raw
It’s no surprise that the 19 year old from the Brazilian league shows an incredible amount of skill, but it’s important to remain patient. He is a player that will need time to assimilate and grow as a player with Palace. Considering Palace don’t make moves like this often, they absolutely have a plan for him.
It’ll be interesting to see if he ever get’s the chance to play with both Eze, and Olise, but for now Palace fans should be happy that they secured his signature.
