The Lad Can Play: Lucas Leiva

With Premiership clubs looking increasingly further in their search for new players, it is somewhat surprising that there are so few Brazilians being targeted, especially when the rest of the world is constantly looking at such players in the search for flair and talent.

There are effectively two reasons for this attitude. One is prejudice: they might be talented yet they also struggle to cope with the cold weather and frenetic pace of the English game. Julio Baptista’s dismal season at Arsenal – and his subsequent starring role in the Copa America – has strengthened those views.

Yet players’ failure to settle, whilst a deterrent, isn’t going to stop clubs; work permits most definitely do. That an experienced player like Alex can also have problems being granted a permit highlights how strictly the regulations are being followed.

Having spent the last two summers battling it out with the authorities to secure a permit for Mark Gonzales, the last thing that Liverpool wanted was having to do likewise for Lucas Leiva.

So much that they inserted a clause in the deal whereby the agreement would have fallen through if any issues cropped up. Fortunately, his Italian parentage came to the rescue and allowed him to qualify for a European passport thus granting him the possibility of moving to England without any problems.

Getting a game, however, should prove significantly more challenging. Rafael Benitez already has a surplus of central midfielders battling it out for two spots – Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko and Javier Mascherano – and dropping any one of those four to give the young Brazilian a chance isn’t going to be easy. Initially, watching games from the sidelines as he settles will help but eventually Lucas will need to play if his is to progress.

When his chances come, however, he’s unlikely to disappoint. On raw talent alone there are few doubts about Lucas. An all action midfielder very much in the Gerrard mould, he’s played a key role at Gremio first in helping them win back promotion and then in securing qualification to the Copa Libertadores by winning the Rio Grande championship.

Nor can there be any doubts about his character. One of the players with the highest profiles at Gremio, he was used to being under pressure, as you would expect from someone chosen to captain the Brazilian U20 side. It says a lot about his value to the side that, following his injury, from being one of the pre-tournament favourites they returned home early after a series of disjointed performances.

Missing that tournament allowed Lucas to fully recover from an earlier injury that had forced him to miss the latter part of last season. Gremio had rushed him back for the Copa Libertadores final in the hope that he would manage to take control of midfield.

Still not fully fit, he struggled to impose himself on the occasion. Few at Liverpool, however, expect him to face similar problems.

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