Scout Report – Ederson Moraes
Manchester City’s hunt for a new goalkeeper seems to have ended as Pep Guardiola’s side are close to completing the signature of Ederson from Portuguese Champions Benfica (The Guardian). The 23-year old is set to become the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of football as City are believed to be paying a fee of £34.9million for his services.
Brazilian Ederson played an important role in Benfica’s title-winning season managing to keep a whopping 24 clean sheets from 40 games across all competitions this past season. He is expected to take the No.1 slot for the Citizens following the struggles of last summer’s signing Claudio Bravo.
So who is Ederson? Is he worth breaking the world record fee for a goalkeeper? Let’s take a look.
Footballing Background
Ederson Santana de Moraes was born on August 17, 1993, in Osasco, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ederson began his footballing journey with local club Sao Paulo FC at the age of 15 years in 2008, before moving to Portugal to join the SL Benfica academy a season later. His talent was pretty evident at the age of 16 itself and after spending 2 years with the junior team, the Brazilian departed to join Portuguese second division side Ribeirao in 2011.
After impressing with his new club, Primeira Liga club Rio Ave came calling in the subsequent summer and he jumped ship once again in the summer of 2012. He made only 7 appearances in his first season, but became the first-choice stopper in the 2013/14 season and went on to make a total of 28 appearances that season. His impressive displays earned him a call-up for the Brazil U23 side for the Toulon tournament in 2014.
Another strong campaign the following season saw Benfica come calling back on the talent that they had lost and Ederson returned to Portugal in the summer of 2015. On his return, the Brazilian made 18 first team appearances keeping 9 shutouts and had a far better campaign this time around.
Ederson was named the Brazil squad for the Copa America Centenario in 2016 but had to be withdrawn due to injury.
Style of Play
Known for his excellent footballing skills, Ederson possesses one of the longest kicks in the game – he once scored from his own box during his youth career and is an accurate passer of the ball from the back. Sharp reflexes and good in one on one situations, the Brazilian is not scared of coming out of his line and often acts as a sweeper-keeper, fitting into the Guardiola mould perfectly.
What Does The Future Hold?
The player himself revealed that he had played his final game for Benfica after their Taça de Portugal Final victory over Vitoria. A move to Manchester City is just a matter of formality now and Ederson is expected in Manchester for a medical in the coming week. He will break the record for the highest fee paid for a goalkeeper and will take over the mantle for the Sky Blues. The fans will be strongly hoping that he doesn’t turn out to be a dud like Bravo.
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