Transfer Analysis: Why did Portuguese clubs show their interest in the 20-year-old Brazilian defender?

Lucas Calegari is one of the latest talents from Brazil linked with a move to Europe in the winter transfer window. He has been linked lately with a potential transfer to a slew of Liga Portugal clubs, including Boavista, Estoril, and Portimonense. Calegari plays as a right-back in the Brasileiro for Fluminense, one of the most prominent clubs in the country. At just 20 years of age, Calegari has accumulated 79 senior appearances with Fluminense across all competitions, scoring one goal and assisting two more. Let’s now look at some stats to understand why Lucas Calegari is luring interest from some Liga Portugal teams.

Lucas Calegari played ten matches for Fluminense in the Brazilian Serie A in 2022. Averaging around 66 minutes per game, he started seven matches and came on as a sub in three. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats in comparison to the other players featured as right-backs in the Brazilian top flight. We can observe that Calegari possesses a very high rank under the defence indicators like defensive duels per 90, defensive duels won, and aerial duels won. He also has a reasonably high rank in terms of dribbles, accurate passes, and passes per 90.

Calegari’s positional gameplay

Lucas Calegari is primarily a right-back but is also considered versatile enough to slot in as a defensive midfielder and a left-back. The viz above shows the player’s heat map from the 2022 season. We can observe that Calegari displays more intensity throughout the flanks on both sides. He moves up and down the pitch and covers a lot of ground, irrespective of his playing position. Calegari averages 0.25 shots per match along with 42 passes with a high accuracy of 86.6%. Additionally, he makes 2.5 passes to the final third and 1.75 passes to the penalty area per match.

As a right-back, Calegari’s primary responsibility is defensive gameplay. From the viz above we can see that his average position along the defensive line is well within his own half. The young Brazilian makes 7.87 recoveries, 3.5 interceptions, and 1.13 clearances per match. Furthermore, he contests 5.38 defensive duels with a decent success rate of 65.1%. As for aerial duels, the right-back attempts 2.75 such contests per match with a 50% win rate.

The viz above highlights the offensive and creative characteristics of Lucas Calegari through winger actions performed. He uses his energy and mobility to move up and down the flank, and he also showed the ability to dribble in the final third and whip crosses into the box. He made 15 penetrating carries into the penalty area in the 2022 season and provided one assist through a cross into the box. Currently, he attempts 3.25 dribbles (65.4% success) and 1.5 crosses (57% accuracy) per match on average. Furthermore, he makes around 2.13 progressive runs per match while averaging 0.63 touches in the penalty box.

What could be Calegari’s role at Boavista?

If Boavista decides to move for Lucas Calegari, the Portuguese team could bring in the young Brazilian as a backup option and competition for 22-year-old Pedro Malheiro, who is currently the first-choice right back. Alternatively, Calegari could also develop into a starting option on Boavista’s defensive line or slot into the midfield, imparting depth and additional talent to the overall squad.

The viz above compares the performances of Lucas Calegari and Pedro Malheiro in their respective leagues. While Malheiro currently has better stats in terms of overall gameplay, the young Brazilian outperforms his counterpart in terms of defensive duels per 90, defensive duels won, aerial duels won, dangerous passes, and opponent penalty area touches. Additionally, at 20 years of age, the right-back has his best days ahead of him, and a move to Boavista could aid in the development of his talent.

Lucas Calegari could make the switch to Liga Portugal for the next stage in his young career. He is a promising right-back with strong defensive characteristics, but he also has a set of offensive and creative abilities in his locker. For now, it remains to be seen if the potential acquisition of Calegari develops into a transfer race between a host of Liga Portugal clubs.