Brighton are linked with Flamengo right-back Wesley Franca after submitting a £20 million bid, according to The Telegraph. Although Manchester City are also interested in Franca, they have not submitted a formal bid.
Last season, due to injury problems with Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey and Ferdi Kadioglu, players such as Mats Wieffer and Jack Hinshelwood had to cover at right-back.
This summer though, Fabian Hurzeler’s side are aiming to bolster their defensive options to help them achieve their goal of returning to European football next season.
Embed from Getty ImagesFranca is 21-years-old with plenty of scope for development, he is currently playing for Flamengo in Brazil and has impressed since his full debut season in 2023.
Last season, his numbers in attack were particularly high. When compared to positional peers in the Brazilian Serie A, on a per 90 basis, Franca ranked in the top 15% or higher for successful take-ons, touches in the final third and progressive passes received.
This highlights that the full-back is an attacking minded player who likes to get in advanced areas, hence his ability to also play as a winger.
Below are all Franca’s attacking metrics on a per 90 basis and the percentile that stat falls into. The higher the percentile, the better he is in that particular area.
His numbers highlight once again that he likes to get into advanced areas and support attacks, which aligns well with Hurzeler’s ideas of creating numerical advantages.
He is yet to add assists to his game but as his crossing ability and creativity improves the assists will follow. He ranks in the 89th percentile for touches in the final third with 23.5 per 90, which shows his composure when going forward, a rare trait for a 21-year-old.
The defensive side of his game is also solid, although he can be clumsy at times, as shown by his 1.38 fouls per 90. However, he typically dominates in both ground and aerial duels.
Also, he is very good at reading the game and anticipating the opponents’ next action. He ranks in the top 6% for blocks per 90 and the top 24% for interceptions per 90.
Despite Franca’s smaller frame, he isn’t afraid to get stuck in. He averages 2.69 tackles per match and engaged in 359 duels across the 2024 league season.
Franca’s numbers would suggest he’d be a great fit at Brighton. His style of play aligns well with Hurzeler’s tactical approach, which focuses on intensity in and out of possession.
Out of possession, Brighton are very aggressive and play a high line. This would suit Franca well as he is a pacey defender who could play the offside trap and still catch up to defend against wingers who beat the back line.
Pace is something that Brighton’s defence has always lacked, especially when Lamptey hasn’t featured. Therefore adding Franca to the side would mean Brighton being less exposed against counter-attacking teams.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith the ball, the Seagulls build from the back, opting for a possession-heavy style. This would be good for Franca, who had a passing accuracy of 88.6% in 2024.
Brighton also focus a lot on the wings when going forward and aim to create overloads out wide. Due to Franca’s forward-thinking style, there would be plenty of times where he could double up on the opposing full-back alongside Yankuba Minteh.
This would allow Brighton get beyond the opposition’s back line easier and more frequently during matches, leading to more chances being created and more shots on goal.
His heatmap from last season shows how hard he works up and down the flank, an intensity which will suit Brighton in the Premier League.
Overall, Franca would provide a good attacking and defensive balance for Brighton next season if they do secure his signature. His weaknesses are ones that are common in younger players, therefore he will only become more complete with experience and stamp out any negative traits in his game.
What sets him apart from other young modern full-backs is his tactical intelligence and versatility. Not only can he play at the back but he could fill in on the wings if Brighton suffer another injury crisis as they have done in the previous two seasons.
The Brazilian seems like a good value signing and has the potential to excel under Hurzeler. With Brighton’s track record of transforming young South American talent, Franca will surely prove to be another clever signing from Tony Bloom and Co.
Written by Isabelle Newnham
INMR FOOTBALL 
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