The Wonderkid Files: Matheus Goncalves - the brilliant Brazilian linked with Arsenal

Welcome once more to The Wonderkid Files, where each week we shine the spotlight on one of football’s brightest young talents and looks at their skills, background and prospects for the future. This week, we look at one of the most exciting talents to emerge from one of Brazil’s finest youth academies – the latest graduate of Flamengo’s Ninho do Urubu, Matheus Goncalves. And if rumours are to be believed, he could be on his way to Arsenal very soon.

Aged just 17, Goncalves is a left-footed forward, equally comfortable on the left or as an inside forward on the right, who broke into Flamengo’s first-team set-up last season and scored his first goal against Botafogo in the Campeonato Carioca in February – in the very first minute of the match as well, swiftly latching onto a loose backpass, scorching past a defender and smashing the ball into the roof of the net at the near post.

Most of his senior appearances so far have come as an impact sub, but that superb strike was no surprise to anyone who’d seen footage of the young forward playing in the youth team – he’s an adept finisher with a blistering long-range shot and the knack of finding the corners of the net.

His goalscoring ability isn’t the first thing that leaps out from the highlight reels, however – it’s his sublime, mazy dribbling. Goncalves has the knack of running with pace while the ball stays glued to his feet, and his swiftly shimmying hips and fast footwork allow him to beat defenders with ease. He’s a player cast from the classic Brazilian street football mould, playing with flair, confidence and a graceful elegance that makes him a joy to watch.

He’s also got an impressive eye for a pass and while he arguably tends towards the Hollywood ball a little too often, he has the vision and creativity to spot tricky passes which others might miss. Roaming around the front line with the ball at his feet, it makes him a dangerous dual threat for defences to deal with.

That Arsenal should be interested is no surprise. Their extensive scouting work in South America, spearheaded in recent years by sporting director and former Brazil midfielder Edu, has already brought Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos to the club for knock-down prices and he fits the profile of the direct and exciting forward that Arsenal have looked for in recent years.

He’s unlikely to be available for quite the same knock-down prices as the Gunners’ previous Brazilian youngsters, however – although his £88m release clause is probably a bit optimistic, Flamengo are fully aware that they have one of the most gifted youngsters in the country on their books and the fee could be substantial, especially in the light of Real Madrid’s big-money moves for Brazilian youngsters Endrick and Vinicius Junior in recent years. The market has changed, and Flamengo will make sure they get their cut when the time comes for Goncalves to leave Rio de Janeiro.

Of course, as with any young player, there are still some kinks to iron out. His penchant for dribbling means he often looks to beat his man needlessly rather than play a simple pass, which worked for Garrincha back in the fifties but is unlikely to wash in the modern Premier League. He’s also quite one-footed and tends to run himself into areas where he needs to play the ball with his weaker right boot – but these are errors that experience and good coaching can resolve given time.

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He is also of somewhat slight stature, standing at five-foot-nine and not being blessed with an especially impressive frame, which could be a downside in the ever-physical world of English football – but his gift for beating his man regardless of size means that he’ll probably get past that fairly easily, though he might get a few lumps kicked out of him along the way. He has no shortage of pace, either, and quick and nimble is a physical skillset that has served more than a few brilliant players well down the years.

Goncalves is so young that it will likely be a few years before we see him playing regular first-team football for Arsenal or anyone else in the big European leagues – if Edu does make a move this summer, expect it to be done with loan moves in mind. But if he can develop his game in line with his clear potential, the young Brazilian could become one of the most thrilling players in the world. Edu shouldn’t be the only one watching.

The Wonderkid Files

► Lorenzo Pirola

► Mathys Tel

► Endrick

► Samuel Iling-Junior

► Arda Guler