With the addition of Brazilian international Andre into Gary O’Neil’s squad on transfer deadline day, wolves.co.uk explores what the centre-midfielder will bring to Molineux.
Profile
- Name: Andre Trindade da Costa Neto
- Date of birth: 16th July 2001
- Position: Defensive midfielder
- Nationality: Brazil
- Previous club: Fluminense
- Appearances: 197
- Goals: 4
- Assists: 4
Background
Born in Ibirataia, in northeast Brazil, Andre has spent his entire footballing career with Fluminense having first joined the club’s youth set-up at the age of 12. Having progressed through the age groups during the following eight years, Andre made his professional debut in September 2020, with his Serie A debut coming against Sport Recife.
Over the last four years, Andre has turned out almost 200 times for his boyhood club, scoring his first professional goal in July 2021, during a season where he claimed the division’s best newcomer award, netting a last-minute winner in a 1-0 away success over Joao Gomes’ Flamengo. He celebrated his 100th game for Fluminense in October 2022.
Andre has claimed several titles and personal accolades in recent years, claiming the Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League), Recopa Sudamericana, as well as a pair of Taca Guanabaras and two Campeonato Cariocas with Tricolor, as well as earning five caps for the Brazil national team – missing out on a place at this summer’s Copa America due to a small injury.
Playing style
During his time in the Fluminense senior side, Andre has been the number six in a team which has liked to play with a high-risk style of football, which has been favoured by managers such as Pep Guardiola and Roberto De Zerbi. A tenacious, battling midfield player who likes to win the ball on the edge of his own box and play his team out of danger.
Andre was used as the first pass into midfield with the team building through him, as he offers a good range of passing, and embraces pressure against him from opponents. He has shown real confidence on the ball and is comfortable to sit in and break up possession. His style and performances for Fluminense saw him called him up to the Brazilian national team for the first time in June 2023 by Tite.
It’s easy to draw similarities to fellow Brazilian Joao Gomes both in terms of pathway and style but Andre is expected to establish himself in his own right, complimenting the blend of Wolves’ current midfield whilst bringing his own style of play to Molineux and providing Gary O’Neil with more options.
Recruitment
The recruitment department first reported on Andre in August 2021 during the 2021 Serie A season, where he began to really breakthrough and establish himself in Fluminense's midfield – this was around the same time the club scouted Joao Gomes and made trips to watch both players alongside Enzo Fernandez in Argentina.
While Wolves managed to recruit Gomes in January 2023, the club have continued to monitor Andre closely and after appointing a Brazilian scout based in the country last summer, they have been actively attending his games live over the last 12 months.
Recruitment and coaching staff have working extremely closely on signings during O’Neil’s tenure, and the club has developed an app over the last 12 months where the scouting department can display their top prospective signings in each position. The coaching staff have been very interested in Andre’s profile and despite central midfield not being a priority position this window, the chance to sign the Brazilian was deemed too good to turn down once the opportunity presented itself this summer.
Attitude
When scouting any potential player for Wolves, the recruitment team build a reference timeline where they speak to dozens of former teammates, managers and agents who can provide personal information about the player, which they collate over time, and this has been the case with Andre.
Similar to Gomes, who was at Flamengo for the entirety of his career in Brazil before joining Wolves, all the feedback the club has received about Andre has been overwhelmingly positive. On and off the pitch, he is a player who fits the ‘gritty’ Brazilian type, of showing no fear.
