MOST WANTED Done Deals
“It’s a sale that no one wanted,” said
Sao Paulo’s director of football, Rai,
in February when the club announced
that winger Antony Matheus dos Santos
would be leaving.
But Ajax certainly wanted it. That is
why they were prepared to lay down an
initial €16million, with a possibility of
€6m more plus a generous percentage
of any sale they make of another former
Sao Paulo winger, David Neres.
And it is the way that the Dutch club
have developed Neres that makes the
destination so attractive for Antony. No
one doubts his talent but he is raw, and
Ajax would seem to be the ideal club to
turn a skillful winger into a well-rounded
attacking weapon.
After developing through Sao Paulo’s
youth ranks from the age of 10, Antony
broke into the first team in 2018. The
following year he was the outstanding
player as his club won the prestigious
Sao Paulo junior tournament and he
then established himself as a first-teamregular, finishing the league season with
29 games, four goals and six assists.
Slightly built but beautifully balanced,
with splendid close control and a fine
turn of pace, he likes to play wide on the
right and cut in onto his stronger left foot.
South America’s Olympic qualifiers
served as a shop window for his virtues
and his whippy crosses were a danger to
all. However, for the must-win clash with
Argentina he was left out – and Brazil
were the better for it. Too often he had
slowed the attack down, receiving the
ball, manoeuvring it onto his left foot,
cutting infield – and giving the opposing
defence time to reorganise.
This decision-making aspect of his
game is something that Ajax have an
excellent track record of teaching.
Tim Vickery(Braga to Barcelona)
In a sign of just
how highly Barca
value the 20-year-
old winger, his five-
year deal at Camp
Nou contains a
€500m release
clause. Ahead of
his €31m arrival he
was in the Portugal
team that won the
2018 Under-19
Euros and has
been capped at
under-21 level.(Ajax to Chelsea)
On the face of it,
the London club
has engineered
quite a coup in
snapping up the
right-winger for
only £36m. The
27-year-old has
plenty going for
him: a great left
foot, trickery on
the ball, and the
variety and fluidity
he adds to the
attacking mix.TRINCAO HAKIM ZIYECH
ANTONY
(Sao Paulo to Ajax)Ajax would seem the ideal club to turn a skillful
winger into a well-rounded attacking weapon