Transfer Analysis: Why is this 21-year-old Brazilian defender of interest to Braga?

Ramon Ramos Lima, commonly known as Ramon, is one of the latest names from Brazil linked with a move to Europe. He has been extensively linked with a potential transfer to Liga Portugal club Braga. Ramon mainly plays as a left-back in the Brazilian Serie A for Flamengo, one of the most successful clubs in the country. Until recently, he was loaned out to Red Bull Bragatino in the Brazilian top division. At 21 years of age, Ramon has accumulated a total of 51 senior appearances at the club level across all competitions. Let’s now look at some stats to understand why Ramon is luring interest from the Liga Portugal side, Braga.

Ramon played 15 matches for Red Bull Bragantino in the Brazilian Serie A in 2022. Averaging around 50 minutes per game, he started in seven matches and came on as a sub in eight. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats in comparison to the other players featured as left-backs. We can observe that Ramon possesses a very high rank under the defensive duels indicator and a reasonably high rank for dribbles. Meanwhile, the player possesses decent stats under various passing parameters, aerial duels, and positioning.

Ramon’s positional play

While Ramon is primarily a left-back, on rare occasions he can also slot in as a left midfielder. The viz above shows the player’s heat map from this season. We can observe that Ramon displays more intensity throughout the left flank. He moves up and down the pitch and covers a lot of ground on the left side. Ramon averages 0.43 shots per match along with 37.7 passes with a decent accuracy of 76%. Additionally, he makes 5.7 passes to the final third and 3.01 passes to the penalty area per match.

As a left-back, Ramon’s defensive gameplay is his strong suit. From the viz above we can see that his average position along the defensive line is well within his own half. Ramon makes 8.71 recoveries and 3.98 interceptions per match. In addition to that, he commits 2.15 clearances and 1.51 fouls per 90 minutes. Furthermore, he contests 9.46 defensive duels with a success rate of 52.3%. As for aerial duels, the left-back attempts 2.47 such contests per match with a 34.8% rate of success.

The two visuals above highlight Ramon’s offensive and creative characteristics. He uses his speed to move up and down the flank constantly. He is also capable of making penetrating carries into the penalty box and has made 28 such carries this season. The 21-year-old also has the ability to dribble and whip crosses into the box. Currently, he attempts 2.8 dribbles and 2.9 crosses per match on average. Furthermore, he makes around one progressive run per match while averaging 0.75 touches in the penalty box.

What could be Ramon’s role at Braga?

Braga sits third in the Liga Portugal table and is enjoying a fine season. They are able to score enough goals and are one of the teams to have conceded a very low number of goals. The club appears determined to finish in the top three, qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and advance far into the knockout stages of the UEFA Conference League. Therefore, they could be willing to bring in additional players to add more talent and reinforcement to their overall squad for what could prove to be a prolonged season.

Currently, Nuno Sequeira and Cristian Borja are the two left-backs in Braga’s senior squad. While the former is 32 years old, the latter is 29. Thus, the potential signing of Ramon will add more youth to the ranks, but he can also provide much-needed cover in the left-back position.

The viz above compares the performances of Ramon and Cristian Borja in their respective leagues. It can be observed that the young Brazilian has the upper hand in some stats over his counterpart, namely defensive duels, aerial duels, positioning, and dribbles. Additionally, the 21-year-old will get to learn under the guidance of Braga’s experienced full-backs and develop into his true potential.

Ramon could make the switch to Liga Portugal from the Brazilian Serie A. He is a young left-back with strong defensive characteristics, but he also has a set of offensive abilities in his locker. He could evolve into a regular member of the Braga team and a great prospect, should the club decide to sign him.