Бразилийн Палмейрасаас ирсэн 22 настай жигүүрийн тоглогч Аллан Элиас Манчестер Ситид нэгдлээ.
Палмейрасын академийн зохицуулагч Жоао Пауло Сампайогийн тодорхойлсноор Аллан нь довтолгоо болон хамгаалалтад аль алинд нь үр дүнтэй тоглодог олон талт тоглогч юм. Тэрээр Бразилийн дээд лигт 96 тоглолтод оролцсон туршлагатай бөгөөд талбайн олон байрлалд тоглох чадвараараа онцлог. Аллан нь бөмбөгтэй үедээ хуурах болон хамгаалагчдыг хуурахдаа гаргууд, мөн бие бялдрын хувьд Премьер лигийн хэмнэлд дасан зохицоход бэлэн байгааг мэргэжилтнүүд онцолж байна.
Түүний амьдралын замнал хүндхэн сорилтуудаар дүүрэн өнгөрсөн бөгөөд 2019 онд Фламенгогийн бэлтгэлийн баазад гарсан гал түймрээс амьд гарч байсан түүхтэй. Мөн цар тахлын үеэр эгчийгээ алдсан эмгэнэлт явдал түүнийг сэтгэл зүйн хувьд улам хатуужуулсан байна. Элиас гоол оруулсан үедээ тэнгэр өөд харан гарын хуруугаараа “L” үсэг дүрсэлдэг нь талийгаач эгч Летисиагийн дурсгалыг хүндэтгэж буй хэрэг юм.
Манчестер Ситид ирэхээсээ өмнө тэрээр 49 мэргэжлийн тоглолтод оролцохдоо 6 гоол оруулсан үзүүлэлттэй байна. Хэдийгээр довтолгооны статистик нь өндөр биш ч түүний талбай дээрх дайчин байдал, хамгаалалтын ажиллагаанд идэвхтэй оролцдог чанар нь багт нэмэр болно гэж үзэж байна. СкиллКорнерын мэдээллээр тэрээр өнгөрсөн улиралд өндөр хурдтайгаар бөмбөгтэй урагшлах үзүүлэлтээр Бразилийн Сери А-гийн шилдэг тоглогчдын нэг байжээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
In each of the past three summers, 12-time Brazilian champions Palmeiras have sanctioned a lucrative sale for a young, exciting forward player to one of Europe’s top clubs.
First it was Endrick, their prodigious academy goalscorer who became the youngest player to appear for the senior team, drawing the attention of Real Madrid. Then came Estevao, the only teenager in the history of the Brazilian top flight to post 20 goal contributions in a single season, numbers that catapulted him straight into Chelsea’s Premier League side.
The latest off the production line, a zippy winger Allan Elias, does not arrive at Manchester City boasting records like those who have gone before. But with 96 senior appearances to his name for one of South America’s strongest sides, aged 22, he has proven his reliability at that level.
“Allan has racked up so many appearances for us because he is a very complete player,” says Joao Paulo Sampaio, youth academy co-ordinator at Palmeiras. “Our coaches and his team-mates know he can attack and defend, that he can play multiple different roles. He’s already played four or five different positions for the first team; in midfield, at left-back, a winger on either flank.
“He loves to dribble, he hides his intentions really well with the ball and can go either way. He’s a strong player, so he’ll adjust well to the Premier League. He’s a total footballer, that’s what we call him.”
Given his lack of output in the final third, City’s interest in Allan might have felt odd at first glance. But the flickers of Brazilian flair are there, while an impressive physical profile and sense of defensive tenacity make Allan an exciting, high-potential player who can adapt quickly and contribute as he develops at the club.
Born in Florianopolis, around 700km (435 miles) south of Sao Paulo where he plays for Palmeiras, Allan’s journey to the Premier League has been marked by tragedy. In 2019, at a summer training camp at Flamengo, a deadly fire broke out and claimed the lives of 10 youth players. Allan escaped the blaze, caused by a short circuit in an air conditioning unit, but his closest friend from his hometown team of Figueirense, Vitor Isaias, did not make it out alive.
“Allan was afraid of being left alone; he was deeply affected by the loss,” said his father Fabricio Elias in an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte. “So I handed in my notice and came here to be with him, leaving everything behind on a whim.”
“They had lost everything, threw all of their stuff in a car and came to us at Palmeiras. The kid and his family are so courageous,” says Joao Paulo.
“There’s another tragic story too. He lost his sister during the Covid-19 pandemic, so every time he scores a goal, he looks up at the sky and makes an ‘L’ shape with his fingers; that stands for Leticia, her name. They were very close, and he always pays tribute to her.”
It will not take long for Premier League fans to be struck by Allan’s determination and strength of character on the pitch, fighting for every loose ball and emptying the tank with every stomping sprint down the flank. His story makes it clear that his efforts come from a place of genuine hunger to repay his family’s faith.
Joao Paulo was one of the first scouts at Palmeiras to spot Allan’s potential. “We first saw him a couple of months earlier at Figueirense, he was about 14 years old. What stood out was how well he could protect the ball. He played a little bit more inside then, more of a No 10, but when he arrived here we put him out on the flanks and he was great, so that versatility and character at such a young age really made an impression.
“Nowadays, he prepares very well off the pitch because he is mature and responsible. He has his own team who work with him but we also look after his diet, how he eats at home, how he sleeps. He is very level-headed.”
Mixed with his natural enthusiasm for the game, Allan’s physical preparation made him a competitive player in top-level football from the off. He quickly endeared himself to fans with defensive work like below, battling with Cerro Porteno’s players to stop the counter-attack, before lunging into a second tackle and safely diverting the ball away.
Here he is again in a recent Copa Libertadores game against the same opponents, the 35-time Paraguayan champions, in a knockout tie.
As team-mate Jose Manuel Lopez miscontrols a pass, Allan is nearby to apply instant pressure to the ball. He absorbs a hefty shoulder charge from the onrushing opposition centre-back, and continues to scrap for possession, eventually poking the ball away.
Such tenacity soon put Allan in the conversation for minutes at full-back and wing-back in a back five, where he can mix his defensive appetite with an eye-catching ability to stride forward with the ball.
Against Cruzeiro, he drops into the back line, blocking a speculative shot from opposite full-back Kaiki before surging forward. Accelerating from two back-tracking defenders, he takes the ball past two more before being taken down on the edge of the box.
“When he accelerates with the ball he’ll leave his marker behind,” says Joao Paulo. “Some players beat their man and are a bit hesitant to attack but Allan is not like that, he’ll sprint towards goal head on.”
Per data from SkillCorner, only three players in Brazil’s Serie A made more long carries (8+ metres) at high speed (20kmph or more) while retaining possession last season, highlighting that ability to drive forward with speed and incision.
“His physical development is natural. He came into his own later, not all of them are prodigies and are ready at 16-17. Kevin was like that, now he’s at Fulham,” continues Joao Paulo. “So many others have come through here and gone on to make their mark later. Once he gets going, he gallops like a horse.”
Not just strength and athleticism, Allan’s off-ball movement is busy, constantly darting into dangerous positions and offering to receive the pass.
He is good with the ball in tight spaces, and likes to combine quickly with team-mates in close proximity before stretching away from the defenders he has committed towards the ball.
Here, against Colombian side Junior Baranquilla, is another direct run, first showing to receive the ball to feet before slowing the defender, ducking inside the pitch and completing a neat one-two with Andreas Pereira and driving through the heart of defence. He eventually sends the pass through to Jhon Arias, who narrowly misses the target.
SkillCorner data helps to quantify his liveliness without the ball. Comparing the quantity of off-ball runs he makes per 30 minutes of team possession with wingers across Europe’s top-five leagues as well as the Brazilian first tier, Allan stands out for the variety of movement he offers, frequently coming short, drifting wide, underlapping and pushing on ahead of the ball.
While it is important to note he will face more low blocks and congested final thirds at Manchester City — much like Antoine Semenyo below — it is clear Allan will bring enthusiasm and energy to support attacks however he can.
City will need improved attacking output from Allan, having only scored six across his 49 appearances in professional league football. Much of that can be explained by his role — often out wide and tasked with keeping the defensive shape — but there are signs Allan possesses plenty of potential when it comes to striking through the ball and breaking down deep defences.
Here against Fluminense, we see the benefit of Allan playing a more advanced role against deep build-up sides, pressing high and intercepting as the opposition attempt to play out. He shimmies inside, and even though he is running away from goal, manages to direct a well-struck shot towards the opposite corner.
Against the same opposition earlier in the season, Allan chopped inside and finished smartly at the near post, while he smashed a driven finish into the far corner from 25 yards against Vitoria. He also popped up with a goal and an assist away to defending champions Flamengo, tilting a potentially crucial result in this season’s title race.
Though not yet prolific, there are traits for City to work with.
Maybe he wasn’t the one-in-a-million, wonderkid signing that many were expecting.
But if Allan’s early career is anything to go by, he will pour everything into proving those doubters wrong, and give City an instant injection of bustle and excitement.
