Andrey Santos, Facundo Buonanotte, Maximo Perrone, Carlos Alcaraz, Matheus Martins, Yaser Asprilla or Danilo have in common, among other things, two very specific things: they are players with great future potential and have been signed by Premier League or Championship teams. This last condition has been possible for a reason: they met the requirements of the so-called GBE (Governing Mode Endorsement), a scoring ‘card’ that allows players to play in the United Kingdom since the implementation of Brexit, a requirement that we have explained on previous occasions.
To be able to play in the UK, any player needs to score 15 points through a series of requirements, based on criteria established according to the quality of the championship, debut in their team or in international youth competitions, among others. Our database contains 72 players under the age of 20 from all CONMEBOL’s top divisions who are eligible to play in the UK, all of whom have a minimum of 15 GBE points, that all our clients have enabled in each player file and its corresponding hyperlink to know from which criterion each point obtained comes from.
In this text we are going to separate in two groups those players with physical and technical capacity to perform without too much adaptation time from those players more in need of a period of adaptation or even some loan to get minutes and better in certain aspects in case of arriving at a UK club, where the speed of play and physical power places an entry bar.
Players with the ability to perform immediately
Vitor Roque – Forward – At. Paranaense
We have featured him before and he has been one of the standout players at the South American U-20s. A 17-year-old striker who has already played a decisive role in Copa Libertadores qualifiers and has a personality and hunger for individual action that is well above average. It won’t be long before he finds his way to a big European club. Extraordinary physical strength and world-class competitive spirit.
Matheus França – Forward – Flamengo
Another extraordinary talent who will not take long to get a chance in a major European championship. His position and play is more mixed, starting from further back, generating countless individual advantages for his team. He is already a figure in Flamengo’s first team squad, excelling in a multitude of passing, generation and finishing performance metrics. He averages 0.42 expected goals per 90 minutes, a particularly high figure for all that he generates from passing and dribbling as well.
Marcos Leonardo – Forward – Santos
A ‘9’ with fantastic movement, used to managing many of his team’s attacks down low, with a great backline and a great instinct for getting into shooting areas on the edge of the box. Somewhat inconsistent in finishing but with the ability to perform in the rotation of a Premier League club and grow as the years go by.
Angelo Gabriel – Winger – Santos
The most different of the four players chosen for this group is Angelo Gabriel, a left-footed winger who plays on the right flank and who bases his game on driving, dribbling and change of pace, it is common to see him starring in big, long slaloms even from his own half. He is probably the most unbalanced player, also the one with the most Brazilian and South American style.
Players with the ability to perform in the medium term
Robert Renan – Central – Corinthians (recently signed by Zenit St. Petersburg)
Although recently signed by Zenit St Petersburg, Robert Renan is a good example of the Brazilian talent that has been emerging for many months now. A midfielder in the body of a centre-back, he is one of Brazil’s most promising defenders. He combines virtues that are always in demand in leading and important teams: left-sided centre-back, extraordinary in passing, with personality to generate advantages in each of his interventions and very determined in duels. He would fit really well as a centre-back in a line of four or in a line of three with high possession rates.
Valentin Gomez – Central – Velez Sarsfield
A centre-back similar to Renan in terms of his left-footedness and personality but with less potential. Despite his youth he is already a starter at Velez Sarsfield and has shown great performances against the best teams in Argentinian football. Currently his physique could be a short term deficit but he has the personality and raw material to be an important player in the future.
Other interesting players with 15 points in the GBE filter
Juan Cruz de los Santos – River Plate (Uruguay)
Also present at the Sudamericano U-20 Championship with Uruguay, Juan Cruz de los Santos is a left-footed winger who tends to start from the right, with the dribbling and driving ability to make the diagonal and look for the shot. He has a good change of pace and great agility to get forward and set up the shot.
Fabrizio Diaz – Midfielder – Liverpool
Playing in the Sudamericano U-20 Championship and getting a lot of minutes at Liverpool in Uruguay, he is a midfielder with quality and accuracy in passing and a good balance between possession management and defensive duties. His experience at the top level of Uruguayan football has been noticed when competing with players of his age.
Alejo Véliz – Forward – Rosario Central
A player we have already highlighted among the players to watch at the Sudamericano U-20, where he has not had many opportunities in the eliminated Argentina. He is a very specific striker, who would perhaps be more suited to complete the attacking options of teams new to the Premier League or as an option even for the Championship. With six goals in the Argentinian Primera, he is a finisher with very good potential to make a career in Europe.
Yerson Chacón – Winger/Midfielder – Deportivo Tachira
One of the six Venezuela U-20 talent who currently has enough points to play in the UK. Along with Savio (signed from PSV Eindhoven) and Maximo Perrone, he was the youngest player in this edition to score a goal in the Copa Libertadores 2022. Right-sided midfielder with good ball control, agility on the ball and great technical skills. A priori he would need previous steps and much more consistency at all levels to perform at the British top level, although he is an interesting talent for the future.
