Shortly after 777 Partners became the official owners of Vasco da Gama in late 2022, the Rio de Janeiro side secured promotion back to the first division in the last match of Série B. Despite being one of the biggest clubs in Brazil, Vasco spent two years in the country’s second division. The new owners took on the challenge of awakening a fallen giant, but with immediate promotion back to the Série A, the pressure was on from the very beginning.

Two months into 2022, 777 has already significantly invested in the squad, with important players like Pedro Raul, Luca Orellano, and Jair coming in. Additionally, despite Andrey Santos’ departure to Chelsea, academy prospects like Marlon Gomes, Gabriel Pec, and Figueiredo have become established players in the senior squad. With new manager Mauricio Barbieri in charge, the squad is coming along extremely well.

Now, the job is to find the few but very crucial pieces missing. The most urgent is the number 10 position, to replace former PSG star Nenê. Although he played an important role in their climb back to the elite, he will be turning 42 this year. Unfortunately, his time is up, and Vasco must find a new advanced playmaker.

The Cruzmaltino have great depth in the more deep-lying and box-to-box roles, however, in more advanced areas, they are missing that central creative spark. In this data analysis, with the help of statistics, we will identify four possible replacements for Nenê at Vasco da Gama.

In addition to data, this analysis heavily considered 777’s recruitment strategy and kept as realistic a selection as possible. Obviously, young stars who have just left South America for the likes of Serie A and La Liga would not be realistic, nor established stars in Brazil’s top clubs.

Matías Esquivel, 23 years old, Lanús

The first name on this list is Matías Esquivel, a 23-year-old Argentinian forward. Although he is currently at Lanús, Esquivel spent last year on loan at Talleres. Given South American leagues just started, for consistency and adequate sample size, we will use last season’s metrics.

At Talleres, Esquivel played both as a right winger and as an attacking midfielder. Cutting inside to his favourite left foot, he is more than comfortable in operating and finding little pockets of space inside the defensive organisation.

Below, we can see his touch map for the 2022 season. There is a natural concentration towards the right wing, as he often played out wide. However, he also significantly drifts inside and into the final third.

In such areas, the 23-year-old was able to display his creative ability. He averaged 33.58 passes per 90, a good volume for an attacking player. He had a balance between 11.53 forward passes and 11.16 lateral passes, highlighting an ability to retain possession as well as find creative solutions. For the latter, his work is undeniable.

Esquivel found 7.46 passes to the final third per 90, 1.8 through passes per 90, 0.79 key passes per 90 and 1.53 smart passes per 90. These metrics are perhaps the most indicative of a problem-solving player, those who find ways to break through the defence and put his teammates in good situations.

He also averaged 6.98 progressive passes per 90, a figure especially impressive given how close he played to the goal. In the map below, we can observe these passes and how many of them found their way into the opposition box.

In addition to his passing, Matías can dribble his way through the defence. His 4.65 dribbles per 90 and 2.86 progressive runs per 90 show it is a resource he quite often resorts to in games. In his penetrating carries map below, this ability can be illustrated further. The Argentinian had 54 carries into the opposition box and many more in deeper midfield positions.

In this role, Vasco are looking for a player who can be the link between the midfield and the attack. Matías Esquivel is a tremendous option, and despite being a promising player, he already has good experience under his belt. He is capable of supporting possession in addition to providing that creative spark, both through his dribbling and passing. With players like Gabriel Pec, Orellano, and Pedro Raul alongside him, Esquivel could do some real damage.

Gino Infantino, 19 years old, Rosario Central

Next up, we turn to a more promising option. Despite being just 19 years old, Gino Infantino has been involved in Rosario’s senior squad since late 2020. The Rosario-born youngster has been a part of Argentina’s youth national teams and is one of the brightest stars currently in the country. In addition to being on the younger side of this list, Gino is one of the more versatile players we have.

The 19-year-old played quite literally everywhere under former manager Carlos Tévez. Another left-footed player, Gino played the majority of last season on the left side of the midfield. However, through this touch map below, we can see a different story. He is everywhere throughout the pitch, drifting into the deeper central areas as well into the opposition half.

His metrics further illustrate his versatile nature. Despite being an attacking threat, Infantino contributes to the defensive side of the game quite well. Winning 60.11% of 7.51 defensive duels per 90 is quite impressive, especially in addition to his 5.46 possession-adjusted interceptions per 90.

Going forward, he does not resort to dribbling quite as much as Esquivel, for instance. The 19-year-old only averaged 2.71 dribbles per 90 and 1.11 progressive runs per 90. Passing-wise, he was able to contribute with 25.91 passes per 90. It is important to keep in mind Rosario Central were far from a possession-based side, and context always matters.

His numbers were consequently not as high in the latter stage of possession, especially considering he played a bit deeper. He averaged 3.94 passes to the final third per 90 and 3.24 progressive passes per 90.

Maybe due to the environment, Gino did not contribute as much to the final third. However, there are still flashes of a more creative player, as seen in his progressive passes map. He is still capable of breaking the lines and finding players in the final third — however restricted he might have been.

Gino Infantino’s metrics last season may not have been as mouth-watering as Esquivel’s. Nonetheless, at just 19 years old, the young midfielder has tremendous room to grow. Additionally, context is always key. His positional versatility would also provide something extremely valuable to Barbieri.

Nicolás Garayalde, 23 years old, Vélez Sarsfield

For the third option, we go back to Buenos Aires. Nicolás Garayalde was a key part of Vélez Sarsfield’s midfield, the team who eliminated a River Plate side with Julián Álvarez and Enzo Fernández in the Copa Libertadores. In Garayalde, we have a more experienced and mature option.

The 23-year-old played the 2022 season as more of a box-to-box midfielder, and similar to Gino, he can provide an extremely reliable presence out of possession. He won 60.34% of his 11.86 defensive duels in addition to 7.01 possession-adjusted interceptions per 90.

His defensive work is undeniable, and he would offer a more balanced option for Barbieri, especially if he wishes to play a 4-3-3. His touch map follows a box-to-box nature, and it is clear Garayalde is everywhere in the midfield. However, through his metrics, we can see he is capable of providing a creative spark as he advances forward.

The Vélez midfielder is quite involved in possession, with 45.64 passes per 90. These are split roughly even between 15.07 forward passes and 15.98 lateral passes, highlighting an initial tendency to progress forward with his passing.

He is capable of finding the occasional creative solution, with 0.61 smart passes per 90 and 0.81 through passes per 90. Additionally, with 7.03 passes to the final third per 90 and 6.63 progressive passes per 90, he is certainly able to drive his team forward and find solutions further up the pitch.

His progressive passes map below further illustrates this. He is capable of splitting the defence open all throughout the opposition half, in addition to a few dangerous balls into the opposition half.

Nicolás Garayalde provides a slightly deeper midfield option. Partnered alongside Vasco’s current midfield options, he would be able to take part in a collectively balanced and creative midfield alongside the likes of Marlon Gomes, Jair, and Figuereido. Additionally, his experience, which includes a deep Libertadores run, would be a valuable resource in this young Vasco side.

Nahuel Barrios, 24 years old, San Lorenzo

The final option falls on the more creative and attacking side of the list. Nahuel Barrios has been around for quite some time, always seen as a special player in Argentina. However, the now 24-year-old never earned a move outside the country. Nonetheless, he is undeniably a special player on the creative side of things.

Barrios has mainly been playing as a left winger for San Lorenzo, cutting inside to his favourite right foot. He is more than capable of playing in the central areas. With a very short stature of 156 cm (5”1’) and fantastic technical ability, he can move in and out of tight spaces with no trouble.

Last season, he averaged an astonishing 7.19 dribbles per 90 and 3.51 progressive runs. Dribbling is certainly one of his most dangerous weapons, and this can be illustrated further in the maps below. With 53 penetrating carries, he is able to break down and enter the opposition’s box with good frequency, Additionally, he is also able to perform these runs deeper into the midfield.

Barrios is quite involved in the final third through his passing as well, with 0.5 key passes per 90, 0.56 smart passes per 90, and 2.56 passes to the penalty area. He can find options through the opposition’s defence and help his team’s progression, especially with 5.52 progressive passes per 90. These can be illustrated below, and obviously, it is important to note they are concentrated on the left wing as that is where he played this past season.

Nahuel Barrios is less of a natural option, as the 24-year-old has not played in the central positions all that much in recent seasons. Nonetheless, he can provide a much-needed progressive option in the more advanced areas of the pitch. His ability to roam into the central areas and find space through there must also not be overlooked.

Conclusion

After a busy winter window in the South American market, it will be very difficult for Vasco to find realistic targets in the continent. However, the desperate need for an advanced playmaker is still there. In this data analysis, we explored four options, though some may not be natural central attacking midfielders, that could provide these solutions in the final third. Given the current environment, it will be very interesting to follow Vasco’s next moves in the South American market.