Interest is mounting for Brazilian hot property Hernanes who is strongly linked with a move to Italy but has also attracted the interest of a number of Premier League sides. Liverpool are the latest club to be linked with the playmaker in the Brazilian press with claims that Roy Hodgson will step up his chase for the talented South American by financing the move with the sale of a number of fringe players and Javier Mascherano. However, despite having his fingers burnt by Brazilian midfield flops Anderson and Kleberson, Sir Alex Ferguson is also a keen admirer and for £8.4m should not be too costly for Manchester United.
The 25-year-old’s full name is Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Andrade Lima and he currently plies his trade for Sao Paulo in his homeland. The club currently sit 12th in the Brazilian top flight, 9 points behind leaders Corinthians which is very disappointing following last season’s 3rd place finish and winning the title in 2008.
Hernanes has been linked to the likes of AC Milan, Lazio and Palermo but the Italian clubs have struggled to raise the fee Sao Paulo are demanding. His agent Joseph Lee told La Repubblica: “There is an offer from Lazio and it is serious and I know that Sao Paolo is considering in the coming days and will decide what to do.”
Palermo’s director of sport Walter Sabatini has also declared his club’s interest. He told Mediagol.it: “Hernanes is very expensive but very good. If he doesn’t arrive, it will not be a cost issue because (chairman, Maurizio) Zamparini has no type of embarrassment in spending money, he could do that easily and has no problems doing so.
“We’ll see. For now we have not made any offer for the Brazilian.”
The player himself has spoken of his love for Serie A but the financial lure of the Premier League and the status of Manchester United and Liverpool could sway the Brazilian to our shores. Hernanes revealed to the Gazzetta dello Sport, “I’m a player who loves to think on the pitch.”
“I understood that in every player there’s the time to evaluate and do the best things. My best qualities are probably dribbling with the ball and my hard shot.
“The comparison with Pirlo is very good, it definitely pleases me. He’s a complete player, probably the best midfielder in the world.”
Both Liverpool and Manchester United are looking for a midfield schemer to dictate their team’s tempo with the Red Devils main man Paul Scholes not getting any younger. Michael Carrick has also fallen down the pecking order at the club after a disappointing time last season so the need for fresh quality is paramount. Roy Hodgson is facing the same situation as Rafa Benitez did last season in so much as there is no-one at the club able to link defence to attack after the sale of Xabi Alonso. Alberto Aquilani prefers to play in an advanced position as does Steven Gerrard, so Hernanes could be ideal as a deep lying playmaker able to pick up the ball from the back four and recycle the ball around midfield and launch attacks.
Hernanes has been touted as a readymade replacement for Real Madrid star Kaka at the San Siro after impressing in Brazil. He is far from a carbon copy of Kaka but has his own attributes; technically he is regarded as one of the best in his homeland especially as he is equally adept with both feet. He is an excellent passer both short and long plus is very difficult to shake off the ball which is integral to any success he’d have with either Manchester United or Liverpool in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old is also extremely versatile and has played on both flanks as well as centrally as either and attacking or defensive midfielder. Unlike some Brazilians Hernanes is very much a team player and not one to over elaborate when a simple pass is available. His work rate is another plus point which explains why he is so highly regarded. He would be able to adapt comfortably to either the slow pace of Serie A or the quicker pace of the Premier League. Hernanes is one of those players like his idol Pirlo who seems to have time on the ball whatever his position and that will appeal to both Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Hodgson who feel his quality would be ideal for the 2010/11 campaign.
The Times report of the Top 50 rising stars of world football rated Hernanes the best prospect back last January and it’s easy to see why. The attacking midfielder came through the Sao Paulo youth academy breaking into the first team in 2005 when he made 16 league appearances (6 starts) and scored 3 goals. The following season he was loaned out to Santo Andre where he made a further 22 league appearances (7 starts) and scored 6 goals. However, it was in 2007 when Hernanes came to the fore for Sao Paulo making 31 league appearances (29 starts) as his club won the Brazilian title before retaining the trophy in 2008. The 2nd title win resulted in Hernanes winning the Brazilian footballer of the year title and led to his first and only cap for his country in a 1-0 friendly win v Sweden in March 2008.
Hernanes also played for Brazil at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won a bronze medal. Despite only playing 112 league matches for his club (94 starts) and scoring 18 goals, Hernanes has attracted the interest from the likes of Barcelona but where he’d fit into a side brimming with playmakers is debatable. He would however, have a great chance of becoming a regular at either Anfield or Old Trafford but Liverpool and Manchester United face huge competition from Serie A.
This season Hernanes has made 8 league appearances (7 starts) while scoring once. He has been in a rich vein of form in the Copa Libertadores where he scored in both legs of the quarter-final win over Cruzeiro. The Brazilian has shown he is the man for the big occasion and with Manchester United facing another exciting Champions League campaign Hernanes has shown he can excel in the South American equivalent.
Hernanes would be a great acquisition for Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool as he could fill a number of roles within the squad. Joe Cole may have arrived but he is more of an attacking player while signing arguably the best player playing in Brazil could prove to be a masterstroke. The likes of Cole, Hernanes and Steven Gerrard would surely provide Fernando Torres with the ammunition to surge up the table.
Alternatively, with Manchester United’s Paul Scholes coming towards the end of his career, Sir Alex could integrate Hernanes slowly into the Manchester United team allowing the Brazilian to adapt to the demands of the Premier League. At £8.4m he would not prove too costly for either Liverpool or the Red Devils although they may struggle to see off the Serie A competition. One thing’s for certain Brazil’s next big export will be a global name once he moves to Europe.
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