Atalanta caused a stir on the European scene last night defeating Invincible’s Bayer Leverkusen to win their maiden Europa League trophy.

Gasperini’s well drilled side came out 3-0 winners on the night as Xabi Alonso admitted his team were not prepared to face such a dynamic, compact team.

While Ademola Lookman will rightly steal the headlines after his sublime hat-trick, Atalanta’s Brazilian bruiser Ederson deserves his flowers. The central midfielder dominated the middle of the park, limiting the capabilities of Granit Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios in the Leverkusen midfield engine.

👏 DAI 👏#AtalantaBayer04 #UELFinal #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/3lRKhYyZZQ

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) May 22, 2024

While the German outfit dominated the ball, it was Ederson’s work against the ball which caught the eye winning 100% of his tackles and aerial duels as well as 3 clearances, 2 interceptions and 6 recoveries on the night.

After the final, Ederson spoke of using his “experience” to combat the pace of Jeremie Frimpong, who he kept awfully quiet last night. With Leverkusen’s wide men made redundant over 90 minutes, Xabi Alonso was left scampering watching his opposition steamroll to a 3-0 victory.

It seems only fair that Ederson was able to showcase his talent on the world stage having been performing at this level all season. The Brazilian dynamo is enjoying his best campaign to date having joined Atalanta from fellow Italian side Salernitana for over £20 million in the summer of 2022.

Ederson began his career playing for Cruzeiro in his native Brazil but struggled to get into the team. After a brief stint at Corinthians he was loaned to Fortaleza where he exploded and earned himself a move to Europe joining a relegation threatened Salernitana.

After just six months in Italy, Ederson managed to keep his new side in the Serie A and was scooped up by Atalanta. His first season in black and blue didn’t break any records but the consistency of his performances opened the eyes of several Premier League clubs including Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United.

But this season, the Brazilian has been monstrous in Bergamo.

Éderson among all Atalanta players this season:

🥇 Balls recovered (273)
🥇Tackles (109)
🥇 Ground duels won (200)
🥇 Duels won (256)
🥈 Fouls suffered (57)
🥉 Interceptions (65)
🥉 Dribbles completed (35)
4️⃣ Defensive actions (233)

Fantastic season! 🇧🇷#ATAB04 | #UELFinal pic.twitter.com/R0s2mADqft

— Olt Sports (@oltsport_) May 22, 2024

Making 52 appearances in all competitions in 23/24, Ederson Jose dos Santos Lourenco da Silva, or just Ederson to most, has all the tenacity of a pitbull held in captivity. Tireless yet composed, aggressive yet intelligent, the 24 year old has all the makings of a midfielder who could dominate the Premier League. His performances have gained interest from Dorvial Junior and earned him a first Brazilian national team call up for the upcoming Copa America.

While Premier League outfits continue to track the availability of Atalanta’s starman, he could fetch a hefty fee in the upcoming transfer window. A reported transfer market value of just £30 million will surely be superseded if he was to leave Italy in the coming months.

With Tottenham supposedly willing to shift Hojbjerg and Bissouma in order to create space for a new midfielder, Ederson would be a perfect addition to Ange Postecoglou’s engine room. Spurs often find themselves lacking in transition given their obnoxiously highline, leaving Hojbjerg and Bissouma exposed in the centre of the park. Ederson could fill this void brilliantly. His tenacity makes him a suitable fit for the brave Postecoglou system acting as an anchor ahead of Micky Van de Ven and Christian Romero.

Alternatively, the 24 year old could find himself at Old Trafford this summer. With Casemiro ageing like milk, and Eriksen leaving in the summer, the Red Devils are crying out for a new midfielder. The Brazilian is capable of sitting back and could unleash Bruno Fernandes in a Manchester United shirt once more. Furthermore, Given ten Hag’s vulnerability to counter attacks, Ederson would take up a Roy Keane -esque role, stamping out the danger before it comes to fruit.

Both sides are long standing admirers of the Brazilian and have been tracking his form this season. Whatever happens this summer, it seems unlikely that Atalanta will hold on to their star man, but the promise of Champions League football could convince Ederson to stay in Italy for one more season.