Football Wonderkid Scout
Football Wonderkids
Star In The Making - Arsenal's Wellington Silva
There are few players that attract the sort of attention and expectation from supporters like Wellington Silva has at Arsenal. He has been hailed as one of the finest and most exciting striking talents to emerge from Brazil in recent years and it appears Fluminese's loss has become Arsenal's gain. Signing for the North London club for £3.5m, the 17 year-old is unable to be officially registered until January 2011 when he turns 18 and current club Fluminese are keen to retain the services of their rising star, arguing that it will aid his development, though sceptics belive it is is an apparent attempt to help the club fill the hole left by the sale of Maicon to Lokomotiv Moscow. Wellington has been linked with a move to Arsenal since late 2008 when he had a trial with the Gunners. Previously he was linked with a number of big clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United. Such is Arsene Wenger's eye for talent from around the world, the young Brazilian was snapped by Arsenal and he will arrive at the Emirates in January 2011 when he turns 18. However, it appears
Fluminense are now asking Arsenal to wait until 2012 after Silva has not only nailed down a spot in the first team but has also produced a series of wondrous displays. Fluminense's vice-president, Alcides Antunes, is quoted in the Mail as saying: "We know it will be difficult, but we are working on a way to make it happen," but Arsenal appear adamant that Silva signs up in January. Wellington first caught the eye when he starred at the Manchester United Premier Cup where he led Fluminense to the trophy at Old Trafford having destroyed
Brazil Under-17 Star Wellington Silva
opponent after opponent. A few months later he went on trial to Arsenal where he scored four goals in one game during his trial spell against Norwich. Arsene Wenger who is known to be overly protective of his young players, may yet allow his new signing to have another season of development in familiar surroundings. Howeve,Wenger appears keen to get Silva settled in England as soon as possible.
Wellington who can play as a striker can also operate on the wing as he can deliver a good cross and has the ability to force his way into the box hismelf. Though he is quite small which is not overly surprising given his young age, Wellington is physically strong and is technically excellent. Playing with a great footballing intelligence, he cuts inside opponents and has good dribbling techniques and is able to score goals from range or in the box. Having made his debut for Fluminese's first team already, Wellington is widely regarded as one of the biggest talents outside of Europe and given the past history of highly rated Brazilian strikers that could prove an excellent thing for Arsenal. With some fearing that he may become another South American flop in the Premiership, it seems unlikely given the long period of adaptation following his move at a young age and Arsenal have already been assured there will be now ork permit problems when he eventually arrives at the Emirates. Following in the footsteps of Fábio and Rafael as the latest youngsters to leave Laranjeiras for England, Wellington Silva represented Brazil at the Under 17 World Cup in Nigeria despite being one year younger than his teammaters and the golden boy of Brazil football has won 11 caps, scoring 5 goals at that level.
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