With the winter transfer window beginning, clubs are now looking to bolster their teams to end the second half of the season on a high. There are several names that are doing rounds in the transfer market. One of the most prominent is Fluminense’s defensive midfielder, Andre Trindade da Costa Neto.
The 22-year-old has been a revelation in the Brazilian league and is now on the transfer wishlist of several Premier League clubs. The Brazilian league has recently produced several young players, such as Real Madrid-bound Endrick Felipe, Flamengo’s attacking midfielder Matheus Franca, and teenage star Vitor Roque.
And Andre appears to be just the latest talent churned out by the land of Samba. Andre’s performance in the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A is enough evidence that the youngster can now switch to one of the biggest leagues.
So, who is Andre, and how good is he?
Who is Andre?
Born on July 16 2001, in Ibirataia, Bahia province, Andre started his footballing career at a young age. Not much is known about his early career, but he only started his journey to become a professional when he joined Fluminense’s youth academy in 2013 at 12.
However, like most players his age, Andre played in a different position as a striker. The competition at Fluminnese, even in their youth squads, was high, and Andre initially struggled to nail down a spot in the starting lineup. And it was only an accidental change where he was asked to slot in the middle of the park.
The switch helped him save his career and provided a solid base on which to build his career. Andre possessed two qualities in spades; impressive passing and incredible stamina. These two qualities were perfect for the modern number six role that requires the player to be physically and technically astute.
Andre won a Carioca Championship in the under-17 category with his role fixed. He continued his progress and finally earned the call-up to the reserve squad. His debut finally came on September 16, 2020. He only got to play 274 minutes this season, but even such a small sample size was enough for the coaches to give him more playing time in the upcoming season.
In his next season, he played 1910 minutes and was so impressive that he was awarded the Newcomer of the Season award.
Andre stats
With two seasons under his belt, Andre had gained a lot of first-flight football experience. So there were high hopes for him in the 2022 season. And Andre would not disappoint going to deliver his best…
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