A 19-year-old midfielder by the name of Joao Neves is setting the Primeira Liga alight. The highly touted youngster is attracting interest from major European clubs, and could be set for a transfer soon, but what should fans expect from this player?
Who is Joao Neves?
Top estimated transfer values*, 🇵🇹 #PrimeiraLiga
1⃣ #AntonioSilva €115m
2⃣ #JoaoNeves €96m
3⃣ #GoncaloInacio €87m
*As per @CIES_Football model 📊 With add-ons & 100% of transfer rights, not considering buy-out clauses
Top 🔟 for 6⃣6⃣ leagues 👉 https://t.co/70tZ7yEj3H pic.twitter.com/sw3Rmh042Y— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) March 20, 2024
A Key Player Already
A Benfica youth prospect, Neves has been in the Portuguese outlet’s pipeline for all his career. He joined the first team in January during the 2022/23 season and made 17 league appearances, as well as three UEFA Champions League appearances. For country, he has three caps so far, making his debut just 19 days after his 19th birthday.
Enzo Fernandez’s departure in January of 2023 opened up a regular first-team spot in midfield, which the youngster snatched up quickly. As a result, the current season has been his breakout. So far, he has appeared in all 25 of Benfica’s league games, and all 10 of their European games. He is a crucial part of his team’s midfield already at such a young age. His performances have helped his side mount a title challenge following their title win last year, and he’ll be hoping to finish this season on a high again.
Player Profile
Although primarily a defensive midfielder, Neves has made appearances in various roles across the pitch, including in attacking midfield and out wide. A large chunk of his minutes has come from a deeper, conducting role though, which better suits his play style. In Roger Schmidt’s preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up, he often fills a role in one of the two defensive midfield slots.
Neves is a press-resistant, high-IQ midfielder and a leader in possession, despite his young age. He likes to get on the ball as much as possible, orchestrating his team’s build-up and spraying the ball across the pitch. Only one other player in the league has had more touches of the ball than the number 87 this season. He also leads his team for passes completed, both short and long, and passes received from his teammates.
Read More: Potential Candidates To Replace Thomas Tuchel
In-possession qualities are not the only thing the 19-year-old can bring to a team. He displays a willingness to press and has a reputation for being aggressive in the duel, which is impressive considering his height is just 5 ft 9. His 37 tackles won is the most out of his teammates in the league. That includes a team-leading 11 tackles in the final third as well.
Neves is the kind of player that would thrive in a team that takes care in its build-up phase. He possesses the skills and mentality of a midfield leader and deep-lying playmaker, and has shown shades of Manchester City’s Rodri in his playstyle. The latter is undoubtedly his team’s most important midfielder, if not their most important player as a whole. Their drop in quality in his absence was evident. In the right environment with optimal development, we could see Neves fulfil a similar level of responsibility in the future.
Interested Clubs and Rumours
A youth prospect displaying such maturity already will be on the radar of most European clubs out there. Neves has claimed that he “can’t promise anything for next season”, and several clubs have reportedly been in touch since January. However, Jorge Mendes revealed in an exclusive interview with Record that “there were proposals” for the 2004-born talent, “but the door is not open”. “They will stay at Benfica until the end of the season, it’s 100% guaranteed… then Rui Costa will decide what to do”. The door was promptly shut for a January departure, but for this Summer, anything could happen.
Manchester United are one of the clubs interested and have reportedly sent scouts to track the 19-year-old’s progress in Portugal. Bruno Fernandes spoke on this, describing Neves as “top quality”, with a “great future” and that he “would love to have him at United”. There were rumours of a deal nearing an agreement with Manchester United, but Benfica were quick to knock them down with an official statement, claiming that “under no circumstances has Benfica started talks with Manchester United or any other club about João — nor does it intend to do so.”
Read More: Chelsea Eyeing Summer Move For Ligue 1 Sensation Despite Manchester United Links
Not far from Old Trafford, another club linked is Manchester City. Another Portuguese teammate Bernardo Silva spoke on the rumours stating: “If I can, I will pull strings to João Neves to go to Man City”.
How Much Would Neves Cost?
To whoever joins the race for Neves’ signature, the price Benfica will likely demand won’t be cheap. The last time the Portuguese outlet sold a midfield wonderkid wasn’t long ago – Chelsea had to pay a British record fee of £106.8m at the time for Fernandez. Fabrizio Romano reveals that Neves has a release clause of similar value in his contract. His contract expires in 2028 so club president, Rui Costa, has plenty of leverage to negotiate a high transfer fee.
