The Basics
Age: 22
Club: Real Betis
Nation: Brazil
Position: Winger
Footed: Left
Under contract until: 2028
Henrique was born in Rio de Janeiro and began his career at Fluminense’s, joining the club aged nine.
The winger made his debut in the Brazilian first division in 2020 and went on to play 120 games for Fluminense, scoring 14 goals and registering seven assists, before moving to Betis in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of around £7million.
In his first season in Spain, Henrique made 40 total appearances, including seven in the Europa League, scoring three goals in all competitions, and providing five assists.
The Links
Reports of Villa’s interest in Henrique first surfaced in January, with Dominic King of the Daily Mail claiming Unai Emery had “enquired” about the winger as an alternative to Nico Williams, who had turned down a move to Villa Park.
Muchodeporte.com reported Villa were “very attentive” to Henrique, and that Betis were seeking £52million for the winger.
More recently, Jose Antonio Espina of SPORT claimed Villa are “one of the most interested teams” in Henrique, which could indicate a potential move for him this summer.
The Scouting Report
Strengths
Unusually for a player at his position, the aspect of Henrique’s game which stands out is his defensive work. The winger does everything you could ask for without the ball.
He chases down opponents with great effort when his team loses the ball and tracks the runs of full backs when they overlap, cutting off the option of a pass.
Henrique harasses wide players looking to get a cross in, often blocking it or forcing a bad ball. When he jockeys opponents, he is patient but firm and doesn’t go away.
There is intelligence to his defending as well as the determination.
He is always mentally engaged when out of possession, holding his position and scanning for players to pick up and ready to burst towards a pass and intercept it. If ever Henrique finds himself out of position, Henrique quickly remembers to fall back into place.
The Brazilian takes up great coverage positions in the penalty area when his team are on the back foot, and defends set pieces with enthusiasm, staying switched on and occasionally being tasked with marking bigger players such as centre-backs.
Henrique is the type of player you put in a wall and know he isn’t going to duck. He genuinely seems to embrace the defensive side of football.
This is reflected in the stats. Henrique ranks in the 98th percentile for tackles, the 70th for interceptions, the 81st for blocks and the 87th for clearances compared to attacking midfielders/wingers in the ‘Big 5’ European leagues over the last year.
On the attacking side, Henrique has the natural tools required to be a regular threat with the ball. He shows the ability to trap the ball with his feet or his chest and quickly bring it under control.
His feet are smooth and he’s able to manipulate the ball easily. The winger has the determination to keep fighting to win the duel if his initial attempt isn’t successful, scrapping to keep hold of the ball. He ranks in the 85th percentile for successful take-ons.
Henrique has good speed which is evident when his team goes on the counter-attack. He has the option of coming short for the ball or running behind the back line.
Keeping in theme with many of the forwards Villa have been linked with, Henrique is a taller winger, standing at around 6’0”.
This frame helps him to hold off defenders at times, and he is a viable aerial threat in the penalty area, drifting in from the wing. He scored a brilliant header against Roma in the Europa League earlier this season and ranks in the 77th percentile for aerial duel win rate.
Weaknesses
Henrique is a very raw player at this time, and there is a lot to work on, specifically in possession.
He really isn’t a very good passer and will routinely over or under hit them and lose the ball, even on easy passes. This makes combination play on his side of the pitch difficult, especially in tight areas. There are instances where he’ll cross the ball to absolutely no-one.
The numbers are damning. Henrique ranks in the 39th percentile for pass accuracy and the 1st for progressive passes.
While he has the ingredients to be a good dribbler, and has had some success, it’s not consistent. He will sometimes just kick the ball at a defender’s legs and hope for the best. Henrique ranks in the 19th percentile for miscontrols and the 3rd for times dispossessed.
There is a lack of end result from his dribbling, often just slowing the game down. He ranks in the 5th percentile for shot-creating actions.
Henrique has the frame, but he is a bit wiry and needs to put on some more bulk to allow him to fight through tackles and generally protect the ball better.
Sometimes his defensive work can have a headless chicken vibe to it, taking bad angles to the ball when closing down and letting opponents get away.
His goal contribution also leaves a lot to be desired and he can scuff shots at times. Henrique ranks in the 19thpercentile for non-penalty goals and 40th in non-penalty expected goals (xG), showing he is not in position to score enough and not finishing well enough once there.
Fit With Villa
Henrique would likely be used as a true winger for Villa, rather than a second striker since his link up play isn’t there right now.
The Brazilian could function on the right side of Unai Emery’s current 4-4-2 if he wants a more traditional wide man rather than a ‘wide 8’ like John McGinn, or on the right of a front three in a 4-3-3 system.
A big question to be answered is: how much impact will Henrique be able to have right away?
He needs work and it’s far from a given he’d be an instant upgrade on Leon Bailey for example. Although his defensive acumen means he could play without his teammates carrying him.
He’s under contract until 2028, meaning he wouldn’t be cheap, so how much are Villa willing to prioritise, and pay for, a player who may take time to come good.
If Villa do land Henrique, he’d be in safe hands with Emery, who could work with his natural tools and develop him into a better player.
Similar Players
The 10 closest statistical comparisons to Torres, according to FBREF, are:
- Lucas Ocampos – Sevilla
- Jordan Ayew – Crystal Palace
- Ritsu Doan – Freiburg
- Gonzalo Plata – Valladolid
- Elba Rashani – Clermont Foot
- Junior Messias – Milan
- Crysencio Summerville – Leeds United
- Dango Ouattara – Bournemouth
- Charles De Ketelaere – Milan
- Yeremi Pino – Villarreal
Ocampos or Plata could be viable options if Villa aren’t able to sign Henrique (or Nico Williams) but still want a similar player.
Transfer Targets Series
- Ferran Torres
- Youri Tielemans
- Kieran Tierney
- Nico Williams
- Pedro Gonçalves
- Giovani Lo Celso
- Marco Asensio
- Mattéo Guendouzi
- Harvey Barnes
Reports aggregated by villareport.
The Villa Ramble 
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