With 11 goals in 17 appearances across all competitions to start the 2023/24 season, Porto’s Evanilson continues to prove himself as one of the continent’s most prolific, yet underrated strikers. If he continues his stunning form for the remainder of the campaign, will a big money transfer materialise for the striker? Let’s explore why teams like Arsenal, Barcelona, and Tottenham have been rumoured to be interested in securing his services in the near future.
By Nathan Evans
Let’s start with Evanilson’s biggest strength, his clinical finishing.
When you glance across the scoring charts of Europe’s top seven leagues, you’ll see plenty of familiar faces, including Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, and PSG’s Kylian Mbappé, and although Porto’s Brazilian striker isn’t quite keeping pace to that extent, he remains firmly on page one of the list.
Standing at six foot tall, the 24-year-old’s tally for the season includes an impressive haul of four goals in five Champions League outings, as Porto qualified from Group H, after their shoot-out with Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 6.
When assessing his play in Europe’s premier midweek competition, his numbers look particularly strong when compared to other strikers in the tournament. Across 318 minutes of play so far, Evanilson has averaged 1.13 goals per 90, whilst he’s returned four goals from an xG total of just 1.38. When you account for the fact that one of his goals came from the penalty spot, that’s a seriously impressive figure that highlights just how clinical he’s been this campaign.
That elite level of finishing has been developed over the past few seasons at Estádio do Dragão as his vision, anticipation, and awareness have all improved dramatically. As a result, the majority of his goals in a Porto shirt have come from inside the box, thanks to his knack of knowing just where to be, at the right time, when it comes to sticking away his chances.
But Evanilson isn’t just a goalscorer, he also enjoys linking up the play to great effect and creating opportunities for his teammates. Unlike a number of top class strikers across European football, the Brazilian possesses the ability to hold up play for his side, and to great effect.
With his powerful frame, he can receive the ball either in the air or to his feet, and can then progress the ball forward in an accurate manner as seen with his 16.3 successful passes per 90 in the Portuguese top-flight this campaign. That average ranks him in the top 25% of all strikers in the competition, and has subsequently seen him amass an expected assists per 90 figure of 0.19 – one of the strongest of any player in his position. That capacity to link up play, as a forward, is particularly important at some of Europe’s top clubs, a level Evanilson should firmly be aiming for.
But perhaps the most impressive part of Evanilson’s game is his hard-working approach which sees him considered as one of the better pressing forwards currently playing in Europe’s top leagues. The 24-year-old isn’t a greedy player, in fact, he instead enjoys making a number of runs off the ball with the sole purpose of creating space for others around him. He achieves that by always being on the move, looking to make a different run each time in order to keep his defender second guessing.
His work rate can be highlighted when looking through his ‘defensive’ stats with FotMob. In the Champions League this campaign, he’s averaged winning 6.51 duels and making 0.85 interceptions per match, both stats ranking him very highly amongst strikers in the competition. He also regains possession for his side in the final third 1.2 times per 90, which has no doubt played a part in Porto’s progress across all competitions.
Overall, improvement still needs to be made across the board, if Evanilson is to reach the very top in the sport. His decision making, in particular, can seem rushed at times in the box, especially as his habit of shooting quickly to catch the goalkeeper unaware can come at the expense of finding a teammate in a much better position, on occasion, but that elite level of skill will likely come in time.
With his 11 goals so far this season, Evanilson has already bettered his tally from 2022/23, and in 27 fewer matches. That’s a swift improvement that will see some of the biggest clubs in Europe look to seal his signature in the near future, especially if his expected maiden call up to the Brazilian national team is forthcoming.
(Images from IMAGO)
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