Tim Vickery shares insight on Matheus Franca – with Brazilian attacker set for Crystal Palace switch

South American football expert Tim Vickery has shared his insight on Crystal Palace-bound Matheus Franca.

The Eagles have agreed to pay an initial fee of £17million with a further £9m in add-ons to Flamengo.

The 19-year-old has made 54 appearances and scored nine goals for Flamengo’s first team. He has also been capped by Brazil at U16, U17 and U20 level.

Speaking to SkySports, Vickery said: “This one needs a bit of context.

“He’s leaving Flamengo – the reigning South American championship – they’re a huge club.

“Their business model over the last few years has been to produce promises, sell them to Europe, and that way, you finance your squad and bring lots of players back from Europe.

“This started Vinicius JR, Lucas Paqueta and a fella called Reinier, who hasn’t really come off yet.

“Matheus Franca is the latest taxi off the rank.

“He’s an attacking midfielder who is strong on the ball – there is talent there and real potential.

“But at the moment, compared to when Vinicius and Paqueta when they moved, he’s done less.

“The squad is so deep at Flamengo that it’s very hard for him to get a game.

“Most of the games when he has played have been when they put out second-string sides or a few minutes off the bench.

“In recent times, it’s been hard for him to get that. It’s been difficult for him to build a career at Flamengo because he was always going to be the one who gets sold.

“He’s very, very raw. He’s the kind of player at this moment who will do something absolutely brilliant and then lose the ball the next 10 times he gets.

“This is not a ready-made Wilf Zaha replacement. This is a talent that Palace are going to have to develop with a little patience.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD