Contrary to last season when Atalanta fans had to endure months waiting for the prize of the summer to arrive in Bergamo (Teun Koopmeiners for those playing at home), La Dea has sewn up business early this year bringing in Brazilian midfielder Éderson José dos Santos Lourenço da Silva to solidify the midfield. Obviously better known as just Éderson, the young Brazilian had an eventful first half of year on the European continent. Fresh off a full season in Brazil that ended in December of 2021, Éderson continued to hit the ground running upon his arrival in Italy with Salernitana in February of 2022. He was an essential piece to help la Granata stave off nearly guaranteed relegation. With his silky movement and dribbling in addition to some iron clad defensive work, the Brazilian has elevated himself into one of the more interesting all-around midfielders in the game.
Coming to Atalanta for an expected fee of about 21M euros, the 22-year old from the deep interior of Brazil will be a welcomed addition to an Atalanta squad that is simultaneously trying to diversify its assets while getting younger.
What Will Éderson Bring to Atalanta?
If we can believe the Transfermarkt.com reports, a 21M euro deal (14M in cash after the Matteo Lovato 7M transfer), it is certainly a lofty sum of money for Atalanta after having missed out on European football for the first time in three years. However it seems like Tony D’Amico and Lee Congerton knew what they wanted, and Éderson was worth the splurge. In fact, there isn’t another Atalanta midfielder currently on the roster truly like him.
Like the classic Atalanta midfielder, Éderson has the workrate and the spirit to contribute defensively (he rates above average in most defensive metrics when compared to other central midfielders); yet, his calling card may be his dribbling and progression. His inclusion on the chart below is impressive, but becomes more impressive when considering that Salernitana spent most of its time behind the ball defending.
Éderson was 20th among central midfielders in Europe’s top-5 leagues last year when it came to expected threat added from carries. No possession adjustment, just pure damage he added after arriving from Brazil in February. You can even make the case that he jumps into the top 15 if we account for players that Soccerment classifies as central midfielders, even though they are much more attacking oriented.
But what does this mean? In short, Éderson is silky smooth with the ball at his feet and has the defensive chops to cover well in the middle of the pitch. The more elegant answer is it gives Atalanta a new attacking option to disorient opposition defenses, rather than trying to pick out a perfect pass every time. No midfielder on Atalanta could pull off what Éderson was doing last year, and he did all of this without a possession heavy attack to bolster him up. Just imagine the firepower and freedom he could have in Atalanta’s setup!
Fancy charts and statistical reasoning is all well and good, but his skills may be secondary to the fresh injection of youth he’s bringing into the midfield. The scary part of the chart above is Remo Freuler and Marten de Roon’s ages. Both are on the wrong side of 30, and while fatigue may not be as concerning this season, it is definitely a forward looking move for when both de Roon and Freuler may not be able to be relied upon for a full season’s worth of minutes. Buying Éderson now versus waiting until next year when he may be out of Atalanta’s price range is a strong long term play that hopefully suggests the new owner’s and new leadership’s intent to create a sustainable and competitive team.
If that is indeed the plan, starting off proceedings with securing Merih Demiral permanently and signing Éderson are two excellent places to start. I for one can get excited about Éderson and his disarming languid dribbling style, coupled with a viper’s bite to punish an off-balance defense. Let’s just hope there’s even more room for him to grow and blossom, and lead Atalanta back into the comforts of the European spots! Welcome Éderson, and always Forza Dea!!!
