It is becoming more and more likely that Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko will be leaving Tottenham in January as he becomes disgruntled with his lack of opportunities at White Hart Lane. With a potential move back to Spartak Moscow on the cards, that could pave the way for Spartak’s Brazilian striker Welliton to move in the opposite direction. Would Harry Redknapp be interested in Welliton and would the Brazilian striker be a good addition to the Spurs strike force?
Welliton Soares de Morais known simply as Welliton, is one of many Brazilian players who simply doesn’t get a look in for his national team, such is the wealth of talent that Brazil possess. Welliton is a small forward who is just 5ft 8in, but has plenty of pace which is always a desirable attribute for a striker. Said to be technically sound, Welliton is a skilful player who is a good passer as well as finisher and would contribute greatly to Tottenham’s attacking play. One concern that Harry Redknapp may have is whether the Brazilian is strong enough for the Premier League and Welliton obviously isn’t much of a presence in the air.
Born in Brazil in 1986, Welliton started his career with Goiás Esporte Clube in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and impressed in the Brazilian domestic league. The 23 year old spent 2 seasons in Brazil, where he scored 15 goals in just over 50 league games, before moving to Spartak Moscow in 2007. Since his move to Russia Welliton has hit the ground running and has won plenty of admirers. In his 50 games for Spartak to date, the Brazilian has scored 31 goals and was in lethal form last season. Welliton hit the back of the net 21 times in 28 appearances in the last campaign, making him the league’s top scorer and helping Spartak to finish second in the Russian Premier League. He also contributed 4 assists and was one of the standout players in Russian football last term.
Welliton is currently contracted to Spartak Moscow until 2012 and the Brazilian has even hinted that he may be looking to qualify to play for the Russian national team in the future. However, it appears that Welliton would be interested in a potential move to Spurs, with the Brazilian quoted in the Daily Mail saying that “Tottenham are a famous club with a good infrastructure.” Surely though even if Pavlyuchenko returned to Spartak, the Russian club would still be keen to hold onto Welliton and create a complementary and more than useful partnership between the two strikers next season. Welliton’s pace would provide a different option for Spurs compared to Defoe, Keane and Crouch who all have their own attributes, but it remains to be seen whether this rumour of a swap deal goes any further. Have a look at the video below to check out Welliton’s talent.
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