While the signing hasn’t officially been confirmed by the club yet, it is only a matter of time before AFC Bournemouth announce their club record signing Evanilson, who joined the club from Porto for around £40m. It has been less than a week since the club sold Dominic Solanke to Tottenham but they have been busy in finding a replacement, probably beginning their search long before the striker departed for London.

🚨🍒 EXCLUSIVE: Bournemouth agree deal to sign Brazilian striker Evanilson from Porto, here we go!

Deal in place for package worth €47m for Brazilian forward to be the replacement for Solanke.

Porto also has 10% sell-on clause.

Medical tests booked, Evanilson travels soon. pic.twitter.com/huhjIeJC8z

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2024

There were reports that the Cherries were looking at Vitor Roque, Tammy Abraham and Eddie Nketiah, but they went all in for the Brazilian striker from Porto and after one rejected offer, the two clubs agreed on a deal which will see Porto receive 10% of the fee if Bournemouth choose to sell him later down the line.

So who is this striker from the Portuguese league?

Francisco Evanilson de Lima Barbosa

Born in Fortaleza in Northeast Brazil, Evanilson joined the Fluminense academy aged 14 before he joined the first team in 2018. His first team debut came in the January of that year but it didn’t go well for the youngster. Despite being a striker, he managed to give away a penalty and his side went on to lose the match. Less than a month later he was sent on loan to Samorin in Slovakia’s second division.

He scored his first senior goal in Slovakia before he returned to his parent club in Brazil. Evanilson played for another Brazilian team before getting his big move to Europe in 2020 with Porto.

Porto

In his debut for Porto, Evanilson scored the winner in a 1-0 victory against Gil Vicente. However he struggled to get game time under manager Sergio Conceicao and so he dropped to the reserve team to try and play his way into favour with the coach. This worked a treat as, after scoring six goals in just five games, he was rewarded with regular first team appearances.

"He'll bring a lot of excitement to the Premier League" 🤩

Good Morning Transfers on Bournemouth's new record £40 million signing Evanilson from Porto, and how he can replace Dominic Solanke 🗣 pic.twitter.com/Ah181v8AKU

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 16, 2024

In January 2022, he scored his first hattrick for the club in an away game against B SAD and he finished that season on 14 league goals, smashing the previous year’s total of just three. His league campaigns have been similarly successful over the last two years, but last season he really began to shine on the European stage.

In October 2023, he scored a UEFA Champions League hattrick in a group stage match away at Royal Antwerp. He also scored a domestic hattrick last season in the Taca de Portugal, again away from home. These performances earned him his first call up for the Brazil national team and he was part of the 2024 Copa America squad. While he didn’t get many minutes in the tournament, it is still an incredible achievement to represent a country like Brazil.

Style of Play

Evanilson is quite similar to Solanke in terms of his style of play. The Brazilian presses high and has been described as a ‘fox in the box’ when it comes to his finishing. He may not be as much of an aerial threat as the Englishman, being an inch shorter at 6’1”, but he has a similar build and can hold the ball really well.

Iraola says “even if Evanilson could just travel with the team tomorrow” that would be a bonus. I think a cameo off the bench would be most likely if the paperwork goes through in time. #afcb pic.twitter.com/1SHI1kUXkS

— Talkcherries_afcb (@TalkBournemouth) August 16, 2024

His strength is unironically one of his greatest strengths as defenders often find it difficult to get the ball off of him. Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola will be hoping that he has enough to replace Solanke, but he needn’t worry as he also has Enes Unal at his disposal once the Turkish striker returns from injury.