Arsenal fans often bemoan the lack of hype and expectation around Arsène Wenger’s signings, with many knowing little or nothing about the clubs latest acquisitions. One exception to that rule was Wellington Silva, who officially joined the Gunners from Fluminense in January, with a blossoming reputation earned while on trial.
Silva scored four goals as a second half substitute against Norwich City’s Under 16′s in 2008. A protracted transfer saga later, and the youngster had signed. He is currently on loan with La Liga side Levante, but questions over his attitude and commitment to the cause have left big doubts over whether the 18-year-old will ever live up to this potential.
Few can relate to the Brazilian and English games like Jon Cotterill, who works as a football commentator for the largest Television network in Latin America, Globo TV. Young Guns caught up with Jon this week to set the record straight on Wellington.
He began by explaining more about the players background.
“Silva’s leap from Flu’s junior side to his deal with Arsenal allowed him to move from the poor Vila da Penha neighbourhood to an expensive house in Rio’s glamorous Barra da Tijuca region. This is the place where Adriano used to hang out – and probably where Flamengo’s new boy Ronaldinho will live.”
“Silva has a similar background to Arsenal’s Denílson – both poor.”
The coaching staff at former club Flumimeinse were scathing in their criticism of Wellington towards the end of his time there, even banning him from training over attitude concerns. Articles in Brazil and England had varied in their support to the player, but what is the truth? Trouble maker? Or just immature?
“Trouble maker? No. immature? Yes. Not getting the right advice from people around him? Probably. But it’s not clear whether he’s ignored good advice he has received. It has to be remembered he’s just a teenager from a poor background who’s suddenly come into loads of money and a degree of fame – maybe it’s just too much for him and after a period of time he will adjust and knuckle down.”
“One difference between Neymar, Silva and Coutinho is that Coutinho and Neymar were being hyped from a very early age. They had a more time to get used to the attention, whereas Silva’s seemed to come from nowhere.”
Arsenal fans know all about Silva, mostly from reports on Young Guns. Yet what is his following like in his home land? What do Brazilian football fans expect?
“Looking at the statistics, 17 appearances and one goal, mostly in the Rio state league. Apart from Flamengo, Vasco, Botafogo and Flu, this tournament is made up of what would be the equivalent of English League One and Two teams, so, he really should have done much better than one goal.”
“To put it bluntly, he’s a virtual unknown in Brazil, and I’m absolutely certain that most Fluminense fans had never even heard of him until Arsenal stepped in. Sorry to say it, but he’s not rated here and will not be missed.”
“It’s not uncommon for a player to be highly-rated in Europe and thought of as nothing special in Brazil. There are lots of parallels between Silva and Douglas Costa, ex Grêmio. He was linked with Manchester United for almost a year but moved to Shakhtar Donetsk. For 98% of his time in Brazil, Costa was absolute rubbish and rarely got a mention in the Brazilian media.”
“I assume by people who had seen him on YouTube in Brazil’s U17 but never seen him play a full game at club level. To a large extent, Silva is also a ‘victim’ of YouTube.”
Cotterill went on to talk about interest in former target Zezinho, saying he believes a move to Europe will happen sooner rather than later. He trialed with Arsenal in 2009, but a deal never happened. Zezinho is a highly rated midfielder, and following on from that, is that where Silva’s future is? Or as a striker?
“When I’ve seen him wide, he worked the channels on the flanks well but wasn’t a ‘touchline hugger’. I have to say though, he was poor and was subbed on each occasion. Some people have bad games but there are signs of something special.”
“I’m surprised he wasn’t loaned to a Portuguese club where the environment and language would have helped him settle in and get the best out of his game.”
Jon finished the interview focusing on the future.
“Silva has joined the right club with the right manager and if anyone can get the best out of him, it’s Wenger. No one would be more pleased than me to see Silva doing well for Arsenal in the Premier League and Champions League, but whether he’s got it in him, that remains to be seen.”
You can follow Jon’s thoughts on Brazilian football on the brilliant Pitaco Do Grindo website, or via his Twitter feed.