On January 6th, according to a tweet from the Football News, Henan Team is about to sign Brazilian central defender Lucas Maya.
Lucas Maya was born in February 1993 and will be 32 years old soon. He stands at 192 cm tall and plays as a central defender, but can also play as a defensive midfielder or full-back. His preferred foot is his left, and his current market value is 700,000 euros.
His personal career has not been particularly outstanding. He started his career with Resende (between the second and third tiers of Brazilian football) and had a brief stint abroad in Europe, playing for Danish club Vejle Boldklub and Maltese team Birkirkara.
In October 2018, Lucas concluded his European league journey and returned to Resende. He then went on to play for lower-tier Brazilian teams such as Sampaio Corrêa and São José.
From 2020 onwards, Lucas embarked on a Mexican league adventure, playing for clubs like Tapachula, Cancún, and Puebla, with his highest market value reaching 1.5 million euros.
In January 2024, Lucas Maya transferred to Brazilian second-tier team Paysandu on a free transfer. In one season, he made 31 appearances for the team, including 29 league matches, scoring two goals, with an average rating of 6.79.
Looking at Lucas' statistics from last season, his ability to clear the ball stands out, averaging 3.8 clearances per game. However, his tackling and interception abilities are average, with an average of 0.5 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per game. It should be noted that taller defenders typically have lower tackle and interception numbers!
This issue is also evident in his video highlights, where he makes fewer tackles and interceptions, focusing more on disrupting the opposition. Comparing his overall defensive capabilities, Lucas falls short of Zhongyuan Forta Madana.
In the 2023 Brazilian Serie A season, Madana's defensive stats were: 1.1 tackles per game, 1.1 interceptions per game, and 3.3 clearances per game. Upon arriving in the Chinese Super League, Madana's defensive stats improved even further!
Naturally, Madana's market value exceeds Lucas by 800,000 euros, and his on-field performance is undoubtedly superior. Lucas' main role is to assist Madana in defense and to lead the team's defense when Madana is unable to play.
Last season, there were several games where Madana was sidelined due to injury, resulting in significant vulnerabilities in the team's aerial defense. Lucas' arrival is expected to fill this gap.
Additionally, it is rumored that Lucas and Nazario are represented by the same agency, which confirms earlier speculation about the team continuing to bring in players from this agency.
For the upcoming season, Henan Team can use a double foreign central defender setup, leading young domestic players like Niuziyi, Liu Jiahui, Zhang Zhihao, and Deng Jiajun to form a new Great Wall of Zhongyuan.
It is also hoped that young players will actively learn from the foreign players, quickly improve their technical skills, and strive to become capable of standing on their own as soon as possible.