Due to the perception that purchasing young players offers significant value, the Premier League is increasingly concentrating on the Brazilian market.
Due diligence in scouting and investing in players with enormous potential throughout the nation has paid off for Nottingham Forest.
In January 2023, Danilo arrived first from Palmeiras, followed six months later by Murillo from Corinthians.
It was a risk to spend £10 million on the then-20-year-old center-back, who had only reached double figures for career games, but he has developed into one of the Premier League’s greatest defenders and is a major factor in Forest’s third-place finish.
Murillo is a strong, smart player who wants to take the ball out from behind and hopes to score a spectacular goal from 40 yards out.
The 22-year-old Brazilian’s abilities were evident early in his Premier League career, first under Steve Cooper.
However, since the beginning of this season, Nuno Espírito Santo has teamed him with Nikola Milenkovic, which has allowed him to thrive and earn him his first call-up to the Brazil squad.
Joe Worrall, a former Forest defender, recalls, “He wasn’t in the team a lot when I was there.”
Cooper was quite hesitant to play him; I’m not sure why, considering how talented he is.
Scott McKenna and I were there, along with a few younger players who had played the game before.
Murillo arrived from Brazil for £10 million and did a lot of flicking, training, and Cruyff turns, among other things, which is exactly how he is now.
Murillo seems to represent Forest’s transformation since returning to the top division, since the team has gone from reliable players or costly failures to top performers.
Evidently, he has never struggled with confidence.
He enjoys the challenge of trying to stop players like Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, and Alexander Isak, who he will face on Sunday against Newcastle.
Worrall, who joined Burnley last summer, claims that if you watched him in training, you would believe he was a No 10.
“You would say, ‘He’s obviously a stocky boy, so he’s not a center-back.
He is approximately fifteen pounds heavier than me. Although he is not the tallest, he is a huge boy with extremely smooth feet.
His left foot clearly helps him a lot since it’s easier on the eyes and there are less of them, but he’s simply a really, really talented football player.
With one of the strongest defenses in the league, Forest is setting the stage for an improbable run at a Champions League spot.
Although each player has contributed, the team’s confidence has been boosted by the solidity of the backline.
Nuno enjoys playing on the counter, which calls for flawless defensive discipline.
Murillo’s ability to play on the offensive and make timely challenges and interceptions before launching an attack is advantageous.
Murillo will be a little let down that he only has one career goal, even though his day job is defense.
He enjoys taking risks and trying out the occasional piledriver from a distance. There has been interest from other clubs.
“He’s quick, strong, can head it, and reads danger really well,” Worrall says.
I believe that’s something you look for in center-backs who are skilled with the ball.
They can pass it, dribble it, and do other things with it, but can they defend? He is able to sense danger.
He is at the right moment and in the right location.
It’s not a coincidence; he simply knows and is verifying it.
In my opinion, he is worth far more than £50 million. If Forest lets him go for a penny less, it will be a farce.
He and Milenkovic work well together, with their respective strengths properly balancing each other out.
Murillo is quick on the ground and the Serb is excellent in the air, so opponents have problems to solve if they want to get through.
As teams try to catch them out, Murillo works well with left-back Neco Williams to minimize any potential passes into the channels.
The two have a terrific understanding of one another.
Worrall remarks, “Murillo is a tremendous talent.
” I can say that he is a really good kid and that he puts a lot of effort into his training.
He is not a fluke; he is a fighter who obviously understands what it takes to reach the level since he is currently performing at it.
He has a very high moral code and has taken the risk of traveling to Europe from South America.
He has invited his family to join him and his girlfriend, and he must be having a great time right now given everything that has transpired in his life. All I want is for him to score from the midway line.
He’s tried a couple times, so that would be the cherry on top. Worrall is not the only one who wishes for that, but it would be worth it to watch Murillo score in the Champions League.
