| Name: Welington Santos | Date of birth: 19/02/2001 |
| Position: LB – LWB | Preferred foot: Left |
| Nationality: Brazilian | Club: São Paulo |
| Contract until: 31/12/2024 | Competition: Brasileirão |
| International: Brazil U-23 (1 cap) | Agency: AGON |
Report:
Welington Santos stands at 1.75m with an average build. He has good acceleration and is very quick over longer distances. Welington displays average strength in physical duels with his back towards the goal, failing to disrupt his opponents sufficiently. He has slightly above average strength in shoulder-to-shoulder duels. Welington has good jumping reach and decent timing in aerial duels, being quite successful in aerial duels despite not being the tallest defender.
Having mostly played as a left-back in São Paulo’s 4-2-3-1, but also as a left wing-back in a 3-4-2-1, Welington is often tasked to provide width for São Paulo, displaying a decent first touch from ground and aerial passes.. He has an excellent drive to get forward, showcasing his good stamina as he continues to make both over- and underlapping runs. Welington likes to carry the ball, often starting his run on his own half and ending his run near the opponent’s box. However, his lack of close control while dribbling means that he sometimes gets himself into trouble in tight spaces. He is more efficient with his dribbling when he has more space. Getting involved in São Paulo’s attack, Welington sometimes shoots from distance. His shot locations are average and his ball-striking is below average. Welington puts in many crosses and cut-backs from the left wing, showcasing his decent crossing technique but not always looking up before crossing the ball into the box. His cut-backs towards the edge are also played without looking up, meaning that he sometimes does not find a teammate. Welington spots runners in behind quite well though, being capable of pulling off nice through passes from the left flank. His passing over short distances is clean as he does not take (m) any risks, mainly playing backwards or sideways passes.
Defensively, Welington is an aggressive but average defender. He steps up aggressively but often fails to intercept the ball due to a lack of composure, giving away many free-kicks and not having the strength to fairly push the opponent off the ball. Sometimes, he tries to get around his opponent but, as a result, he gets dribbled past on the first touch rather easily. Welington sometimes steps up too late, being vulnerable in defensive 1v1 duels as he is still moving in the opposite direction when his opponent makes his action. His timing in defensive 1v1s is also average. He struggles against opponents with quick directional changes and commits too soon, also due to a lack of composure. Welington sometimes gives his opponent too much space to cross. He often does not recognize the danger when an opponent makes a run in behind, failing to track back quickly enough. Welington also sometimes fails to block the passing lane after moving out of the defensive line. He can be assertive in loose ball duels but sometimes seems switched off.
Welington has specific skills that make him an okay left-back in the Brazilian league, but this is also his ceiling. He is too poor defensively to make an impact in a significant European league. Welington is decent going forward but needs to improve his crossing and close control in tight spaces. In conclusion, there is a lot of work to do for the young Brazilian to become a strong player in the Brazilian league.
Target Scouting 