River Plate’s Agustin Palavecino could be repurposed as a controlling midfielder

In his mid-twenties, Agustin Palavecino has grown into one of River Plater’s more integral players for an extended period of time as one of the most influential progressive passers in Argentina. As a young player, it would have been difficult to predict this consistency from a player who is a few months away from his 26th birthday as when he was a youngster with Platense, he only played 10 games in five years due to persistent injuries. In the fledgling stages of his professional career, his cousin, Erik Lamela would use a contact to organize an opportunity for the midfielder to travel to West Ham for a trial which did not come off as he returned to Deportivo Cali where he became a stalwart as a creative hub in midfield. At the beginning of this season, he served mostly on the bench as his role was filled by Enzo Fernandez but when the youngster left for Benfica, he reprised his role and picked up where he left off.

At Deportivo Cali, he played mostly as a 10 in a 4-2-3-1 shape while at River Plate, he has played as an inverted left winger in a 4-2-3-1 as well as a diamond shape as he has also played in a deeper-lying midfield role. Many midfielders or players as technically skilled as Palavecino will evolve into deeper operators as their career progresses due to less physical demands on the position while giving them the opportunity to act as distributors. Palavecino certainly has the tools to do this as his first touch in tight spaces is exceptional while the 25-year-old has a phenomenal range of passes, being able to ping accurate switch balls from one flank to the other. However, his best trait is his ability to thread passes through tight lines to instigate attacking moves as he can distribute penetrative passes in between the central lines as well as threading through balls into the channels for runners. The Argentine midfielder is exceptional at moving into tight spaces to work passing connections before moving into spaces to receive the ball or threading passes in between the lines. None of this is better exemplified by the fact that he led the league in third assists last season, meaning he led Argentina in playing the pass that led to the pass before the assist.

Marcelo Gallardo has looked to engage the defensive side of his game as a pre-season trip to Florida was crucial in boosting his energy levels and defensive work rate as Palavecino is building all the tools in developing into an influential deep-lying playmaker in his late 20s to early 30s. In a Superclasico at La Bombonera against Boca Juniors, he played as a box-to-box midfielder, receiving a throw-in a deep zone to take a touch and thread a direct pass to the nine-space. The 25-year-old’s range of penetrative passing sets him apart as this allows him to switch the ball to the wide areas for crossing situations while he can thread a pass in between the lines to instigate combination play for high quality opportunities. He made a run to receive possession in the eight space to switch a pass to the right flank for his teammate to have a 1v1 opportunity in the wide areas. Palavecino is intuitively clever at working passes on the first or second touch which allows him to play penetrative passes at a high tempo as he dropped into a deeper zone to receive possession, allowing the ball to roll across his body to take a touch with his left foot before threading a pass in between two defenders into the box with his right for the striker to flick on for a shooting opportunity.

In a build-up situation, he dropped into a left sided centre-back role to receive possession, take a touch and thread a pass in between the lines. This is one of the instances that proves that Palavecino is evolving as a midfielder as he is more effective at receiving possession in the deeper areas and having passing options in front of him rather than receiving possession in the ten space with less time and space on the ball. When he operates in the ten space, he tends to lay-off possession but when he is in the deeper areas, he is much more proficient in scanning, assessing his options and releasing the ball to penetrate opposition defensive blocks. However, the midfielder would make a late run into the box to head in a crossing opportunity to level the score.

Away to Sarmiento, he would mainly be operating from the left flank as after a pass in between the lines was intercepted, he regained possession in the counter-press with a tackle flick a pass in between two players to a teammate who sent a shot over the bar. In the defensive phase, he was defending the central spaces, making a movement to cover a passing lane and regain possession with an interception. Palavecino stood over a free-kick to loft a delivery to the back-post for a header across the face of goal which was cleared for the midfielder to make another interception, denying the opposition a counter-attacking opportunity and playing a back-pass. It was a game where the 25-year-old showed his defensive capabilities, regaining possession as he is clever at covering spaces to make interceptions while his tackling manoeuvre is to prod the ball out of the stride of an opposition player before using his body to shield the ball as this allows him to work a pass or force a foul. He utilized this manoeuvre to regain possession before playing a back-pass.

In possession, Palavecino exhibited his ability to orchestrate passing interchanges when he received possession in the right half-space, gesticulating for his fullback to make an overlapping run as when the winger tucked inside, he played a line-breaking pass in between two midfielders to the winger tucking into the half-space. In a build-up sequence, he dropped into the left half-space to lay-off possession before making a movement to receive possession in between the lines, allowing the ball to roll across his body to drive possession forward and play a progressive pass to an attacker in the channels. At home to San Lorenzo, he was positioned in the eight space during an attacking interchange, scanning to for space while identifying where his left winger was positioned, making a movement in between the lines to receive possession, taking a touch and lofting a chipped pass for his left winger to have a shot on goal. During a counter-attacking situation, he received a pass in the six-space to lob a switch pass to the left flank for his left winger to have a 1v1 situation. Palavecino lobbed a third pass when he received possession on the left flank to identify the right winger to make a run beyond the nine-space to lob a pass to the attacker who had a poor first touch.

Palavecino is special as a deeper-lying ball-progressor as he can angle through passes from a variety of areas, especially when he is positioned in the wide zone and identifies a runner moving into the central zone as the 25-year-old was positioned on the right flank once more, receiving a back-pass to play the ball to the centre-back before he received possession once more, threading a through ball to a teammate making a run into the right half-space. In the defensive phase, he shifted across to make a sliding tackle before dropping into the six-space to receive possession from his centre-back to turn and play a line-breaking pass to the eight space. Away to Tallares de Cordoba, he tracked back to regain possession as a teammate made a tackle for Palavecino to receive possession and thread a deep line-breaking pass to the nine-space. In the attacking phase, he dropped into the six-space to receive possession, playing a one-touch switch ball to the left winger to cut-back a cross for Julian Alvarez who poked the ball straight at the goalkeeper.

The Argentine midfielder received possession on the left flank to hold off an opposition player before cutting back to drive the ball past another opposition player to lob a pass to the ten space to facilitate a switch ball to the flank. Palavecino is able to work accurate switch balls to either flank as this is one of the more creative tools of his arsenal, especially when he receives possession in the final third as he possesses penetrative passing as well as the ability to stretch the pitch. In the defensive phase, he would tuck inside to cover for a midfielder who pushed up to make a well-timed sliding tackle to push his side forward on the counter-attack. He received possession in the deeper midfield zone once more to take a touch and loft a pass for an attacker to make a run in behind. River Plate were down to 10 men as his work rate and distribution was key to them winning 2-0 as he pushed up from the six-space to make an interception before threading a through ball to Alvarez who drove the ball forward and sent a shot high and wide.

His outing against Argentinos Juniors was one of his better performances in a River Plate shirt as he began the game by creating an opportunity, receiving possession to the ten space to spread the ball to the left winger who had a shooting opportunity. He then dropped deep in the build-up phase to receive possession, swivelling to drive the ball forward and flick a pass into the attacking line with the outside of his boot. Palavecino dropped into the left-back zone to receive possession and lob a pass for the left winger to have a crossing opportunity blocked. The 25-year-old is a highly intelligent player with the timing of his movements as his skillset is applicable to receiving possession in the deeper areas as well as in the final third. In a build-up situation, he would scan to find an open pocket of space behind the second wave of opposition pressure, making a well-timed run in between the lines to receive a pass from the six-space before continuing his run as the deepest-lying midfielder decided against playing the ball to him as he finally received possession, playing a one-touch pass to the right flank.

Palavecino traded passes with a teammate on the left flank to cut past a marker and thread a pass into the channels as he received possession in the same zone moments later, recognizing a vertical run from the right winger to switch a pass to the flank for him to lay-off for a teammate. His switch ball was astray as he switched the ball directly to a runner instead of switching a pass in front of him to create a shooting opportunity. He dropped deep to receive possession in the six-space, driving the ball forward to stop as he realised that he had meagre passing options in front of him, waiting for his striker to drop deep and a teammate to make a run off of him as he lofted a pass to the teammate. Palavecino’s ability to recognizing run as a deeper-lying playmaker is peerless as his scanning, ability to pick his head up and assess spaces and runs are facets of his distribution that make him a pivotal transitional tool in creating opportunities. As a deeper-lying operator in the six-space, his ability to receive possession in tight areas and quick decisions will be pivotal as he would exhibit this, dropping into the six-space to receive possession from his centre-back, turning inside to drive the ball forward, evading an attacker before he cut-back and played a back-pass.

Palavecino dropped into the deeper areas to play a line-breaking pass to the nine-space before he made a tackle in a counter-pressing situation to push his side forward on the counter. The 25-year-old then received possession in the six-space, driving the ball forward to poke a through ball to Briain Romero with the outside of his boot as the pass was perfect, catching the young striker in stride for him to square a pass for Alvarez to side-foot into an empty net. He notched another second assist, regaining possession before threading a through ball for Alvarez to go 1v1 with the goalkeeper and square a pass for Romero to side-foot into an empty net. He made a run to the left flank to receive possession, cutting inside and threading a deep vertical pass to Alvarez in the ten space. Palavecino made a run back to cover space and regain possession in the six-space before contorting his body to find a line-breaking pass to Alvarez in the ten space once more. He would thrive as a deeper-lying midfielder as he can regain possession and immediately put his team on the front foot with his passing range.

Away to Platense, he received possession in the half-space to play a one-touch pass to the flank before he pushed up to receive possession in the deeper areas, lobbing a pass to Alvarez in the channels. After his team lost possession in the final third, Palavecino played a one-touch slide-rule pass to a teammate after regaining possession in the opposition half. The 25-year-old received possession to play a one-touch switch ball to the opposite flank with the outside of his right boot as he covered space to make a tackle in his own half. Palavecino received possession in the six-space to trade passes with Alvarez who dropped deep before he worked a one-touch pass to the flank through pressure. In a build-up situation, he received a lay-off in the six-space, playing a disguised pass to Alvarez in between the lines before he regained possession in the counter-press to play a back-pass to a teammate. After another turnover, he regained possession in the counter-press, working a one-touch pass to a teammate with the outside of his boot as he made a run to receive possession in the wide areas to loft a cross into the box. Palavecino lofted a pass from the left half-space to the right flank for a lay-off to Alvarez who smashed a shot high and wide. He repeated the trick, switching a pass from the left half-space to an overlapping fullback on the right flank.

Deep in his own half, Palavecino received a lay-off while under pressure to lob a pass to the right flank for Romero to instigate a counter-attacking move. He pushed forward to receive possession in the opposition half, finding Alvarez in the ten space once more with a disguised pass. He nearly had a goal of his own, receiving possession Alvarez to drive into the box, weaving past three players to have a 1v1 with the goalkeeper as his shot was saved. He dropped deep to receive possession from the right sided centre-back to play a one-touch switch ball to the left flank on the half-turn as his ability to move the ball quickly and efficiently on the first touch could allow him to develop into a high-level deeper-lying presence. He exhibited this as he drove the ball forward from the deeper areas to switch the ball to the left flank for his winger to have a 1v1 situation. At home to Racing, he moved towards the left flank to receive possession, scanning before he received the ball before he eventually received a pass from his left back, swivelling to play an outside of the boot pass to the next line.

He received a lay-off on the left flank to play a one-touch deep pass to the nine-space before he dropped into the six-space to pick up a loose ball, contorting his body to play a one-touch lobbed pass to a teammate in the final third. Palavecino received possession in the same area to play an outside of the boot pass to the right flank. The 25-year-old dropped into the ten space to play a one-touch pass to the right flank before making a movement to the right flank to receive a cross. His movement would pay off as he made a run off the striker to receive possession in behind to thread a finish in between the goalkeeper’s legs. During the attacking phase, Palvecino dropped into the six-space to receive possession, threading a pass to the right half-space for a teammate to spread the ball to the right flank for a cross that led to a headed opportunity on goal. He dropped into the six-space once more, receiving possession to play a deep line-breaking pass to the right flank. He was positioned in the deeper central areas, receiving possession to drive the ball forward and have a pass deflected for Romero to score.

He made a tackle in the six-space as the last midfielder shielding his defence before he pushed forward to make an interception in the opposition half to have a shot on goal. He made another tackle to play a progressive pass in between the lines to launch an attacking move. Palavecino would notch an assist to go with his goal, driving the ball forward from the six-space to work a one-two with a teammate before rolling a pass to an attacker in space to apply the finish. The 25-year-old received possession to work a one-touch pass in between the lines. He received a lay-off to play a one-touch switch ball to the right flank. At home to Aldosivi, he was deployed as the deepest-lying midfielder, threading a pass in between the lines to Jorge Carrascal for the playmaker to carve out space for a shot on goal. It was a game where he played predominantly from the six-space, moving into space to create good passing angles for his centre-backs as he consistently looked to play the ball forward, even when the options were not there. Palavecino would thread another pass to Carrascal to create another shooting opportunity for the Paraguayan.

Palavecino would thread a pass to the nine-space before threading a pass in between the lines that started a move that led to a Rafael Santos Borre shot on goal. The 25-year-old is incredibly intelligent at twisting and turning out of pressure as he his past as an attacking midfielder allows him to recognize runs quickly as he threads passes with perfect accuracy and weighting. The midfielder threaded a through ball to Borre which the striker mis controlled before receiving possession, taking a touch and threading another brilliant pass to the ten space. His distribution from midfield set the tempo for the team, threading another pass to the ten space before receiving possession on the left flank, rolling the ball to his weaker left foot and threading a pass in between the lines. Defensively, he would slide across to make an interception before threading a pass in between the lines.

Away to Rosario Central, Palavecino received possession in the deeper midfield areas to drive the ball forward, lobbing a pass into the channels for a wide player to mis control. He was operating in the deeper-midfield areas, receiving possession to spread the ball into the wide areas before the ball was played back to him as he played a back-pass to his midfield partner for the deep-lying playmaker to receive possession once more, threading a pass to the ten space with the perfect weighting for the attacker to turn and drive into space. The 25-year-old has the tools to develop into a deep-lying playmaker, receiving possession in the six-space, controlling the ball with his stronger right foot to push the ball into the centre with his directional first touch before working a pass in between two midfielders to the ten space and making a run in between the lines. He dropped deeper from the left flank to utilize his poke and shield manoeuvre to regain possession.

Palavecino’s ability to contort his body in tight spaces to release possession is another facet of his game that allows him to thrive in the tighter areas of the ten space as well as in the deeper areas of midfield. He moved into the ten space, scanning to identify a marker over his shoulder before he received a pass from the right flank, adjusting his body shape to poke the ball to the nine-space with his first touch using his right foot instead of allowing the ball to roll across his body before he received a lay-off to switch a pass to the left flank for an overlapping fullback who cut the ball back to him as he was unable to get a shot away. He dropped deep into the left half-space to receive possession before driving the ball inside and threading a pass into the ten space. In a pressing situation, he regained possession in a pressing situation while covering the eight space to push his team forward on the counter. The 25-year-old would work a one-two with a teammate from the left half-space to switch possession to the right flank.

Palavecino moved into the ten space as the ball was on the right flank, constantly scanning to ascertain the position of his teammates and defenders as he received possession to play a one-touch pass into the nine-space. The 25-year-old exhibited elite intelligence when he orchestrated his own goal, dropping into the six-space to receive possession, driving the ball forward to thread a pass into the ten space, receiving possession to spread a pass to the right flank before moving into the ten space to move into space to receive a lay-off from Alvarez to fire home a strike with the outside of his right boot. He made another intelligent blind-sided movement in between the lines to receive possession and swivel to thread a direct pass to the nine-space for a lay-off and switch to the opposite flank. Palavecino would have a second goal, receiving possession in the opposition half to switch the ball to the left flank before holding a position in the ten space to receive the ball once more to fire home a strike.

At home to Defensa y Justicia, he exhibited another trait that would allow him to transition into a deep-lying playmaker as he can receive possession on the half-turn and play with his first touch as this allows him to speed up attacking transitions in the opposition half as it can also be employed for transitions in the build-up phase. Palavecino was positioned in the ten space, dropping into a pocket of space to receive possession, working a one-touch pass to a teammate before making a blind-sided movement to receive possession, playing a one-touch pass to a runner in the channels who worked a pass to Alvarez to lay-off for Palavecino to have a shot blocked. He then covered space to make a tackle to regain possession before moving in between the lines to receive a pass and play an outside of the boot pass to a runner on the flank. In the counter-press, he made a slide tackle to regain possession before threading a through ball to Alvarez in the channels.

Palavecino created an opportunity with his first touch, moving in between the lines to receive possession, playing a one-touch through ball for Romero to have a 1v1 but his first touch was heavy, and he missed his opportunity. He eventually notched an unintended assist, dropping into the deeper areas to take a shot which rolled to the feet of Romero to take a touch and apply the finish. With the rise and development of Enzo Fernandez, Palavecino would find first-team opportunities difficult to come by but it was not for a lack of talent as he had a cameo away to Sarmiento which illustrated his ability. In a deeper-role with passing options, he can see the game and distribute possession in a penetrative and efficient manner as playing in between the lines, limits this aspect of his game. He received possession near the touchline to work a line-breaking pass into the centre before finding Fernandez in between the lines with a pass for the 21-year-old to take a touch to play the ball to Alvarez and smash a strike into the roof of the net. He had another moment in the six-space, scanning to receive possession before driving the ball forward to send a switch pass to the flank.

After the departure of Fernandez, his playing time has grown as he has regained his starting position under Gallardo with some phenomenal performances. Away to Velez Sarsfield, he was under pressure in the deeper zone to nonchalantly back-heel a line-breaking pass out of pressure and to a teammate. He had a second assist, receiving possession after the counter-press to loft a pass into the box for Lucas Beltran to lay-off for Nicolas De la Cruz to hammer a strike home. Palavecino tucked into the six-space to make an interception, skilfully rolling the ball past an opponent to loft a switch pass to a winger on the left flank. He received possession in the eight space from the goalkeeper, using his chest to control the ball and drive into the opposition half before spreading a pass to the flank. He dropped into the six-space to receive possession from his goalkeeper, taking a touch before threading a pass into the wide areas for a runner.

At home to Newell’s Old Boys, he dropped deep to create a three-chain, positioning himself in the left sided centre-back position, receiving possession to lob a pass into the channels for De la Cruz to attempt a flick-on for Beltran. From a throw-in situation, he dropped into a tight space to chest the ball and lob a switch pass to De la Cruz in the ten space to start a counter-attack. He made a movement in between the lines to receive a lay-off, taking a touch and playing a line-breaking pass to the nine-space. He would drop into the deep areas of the left flank to receive possession, playing the ball to the six-space before making a movement in between the lines to receive possession and have a shooting opportunity before he was tackled. Palavecino would have three assists in this game as for his first, he played a one-touch switch ball for Pablo Solari to send a deflected shot past the goalkeeper. For his second, he received possession in between the lines to play a through ball for Solari to score his second.

After a turnover, he played a one-two, he faked a pass to turn away from a marker, driving the ball forward to work a pass to the nine-space with the outside of his boot, receiving a lay-off to lob a pass for a runner in the channels. In the build-up phase, Palavecino dropped from the left flank into the eight space to play a one-touch pass for De la Cruz to ease transition. He received possession in the left half-space to switch a pass to Solari on the right flank before he received possession in the ten space, allowing the ball to roll across his body to his left foot to evade a defender and work a ball in between the lines. He notched his third assist from a corner, lofting a brilliant delivery into the box for a teammate to head past the goalkeeper. At home to Central Cordoba, he received possession in his own half after a turnover to cut away from a defender and thread a through ball to the ten space. He exhibited his one-touch passing ability when he played a one-touch lobbed pass on the half-turn to the nine-space.

After a turnover, Palavecino would slide across to cover the six-space and make a tackle showing brilliant defensive anticipation before he received a lay-off in between the lines, working a one-touch switch pass to the left before moving into the left half-space to receive possession, threading a line-breaking pass to the nine-space as he received possession once more to play an accurately curved switch ball to the right flank. The 25-year-old received possession in the six-space to play a one-touch lob to the nine-space as he moved to the right flank to thread a through ball for Solari to cross into the box. The midfield maestro received possession on the same flank to thread a through ball with the outside of his right boot to the right flank as the pass was a touch too heavy. During a counter-attack, he tracked back to make a well-timed tackle in the box before dropping into the six-space to receive possession, scanning before the ball rolled to him, allowing the ball to roll across his body before cutting past a marker to play a pass to the left flank. In the attacking phase, he moved to the left flank, threading a pass in between the lines before making a third man run into the box to receive possession as he slipped before he could take a shot.

In the defensive phase, he covered two players, making a tackle on the second player to regain possession and play a deep vertical pass to the ten space. In between the lines, he received possession to play a one-touch pass on the half-turn, moving into space to play another one-touch pass to facilitate a switch and the creation of a crossing opportunity. He made another tackle to regain possession before receiving possession in the eight space to thread a through ball to De la Cruz to start a counter-attack. Palavecino played an outside of the boot pass in between two defenders before making a run into the channels to receive possession. The 25-year-old lofted another one-touch pass to the right flank as he will continue to be an influential starter for River Plate until the end of the season.

Palavecino led the league in third assists last season with 5 as he was also third in through passes, ranking in the same position in through passes per game. He ranked third in passes to the final third and 2nd in passes to the final third per game while he ranked first in smart progressive passes last season, ranking 2nd in the per game metrics. In progressive passes, he ranked in the top 30 as one of only three midfielders on a list filled with goalkeepers and centre-backs as the only midfielder under the age of 30. Intriguingly the other two midfielders were Nelson Acevedo and his teammate, Enzo Perez who operate as defensive midfielders showing that Palavecino is effective at advancing possession from the deeper positions. In the per game metrics for progressive passes, he ranked in the top 15 with an 86% accuracy which is impressive given his progressive passing volume. For deep completed passes, he ranked 5th on a table with attacking midfielders, strikers, wingers and fullbacks as one of the only deeper-lying midfielders on the list. In the per game metrics, he ranked in the top 15.

This season, his minutes have only started to grow in recent games with the departure of Fernandez as he has broken into the top 30 for through balls per 90 minutes as he has broken into the top 20 for passes to the final third per 90 as well. For smart progressive passes, he ranks in the top 30 whilst being in the top 20 in the per game metrics. For deep completions he has broken into the top 30 of the per 90 metrics according to WyScout ranking data as his numbers will continue to grow with his increased game time as a starter.

Palavecino had a shorter youth career as the 25-year-old has the ability to prolong his professional career by doing what most midfielders of his ilk have done which is moving deeper as he already possesses the tools. His passing range with being able to ping accurate switch balls to the flank or roll perfectly weighted through passes in between the lines means that he thrives as a distributer from the deeper areas. His one-touch passing also means that he is able to recycle possession at pace as he has the ability to contort his body to progress play with his first touch with the ball being played to him from a variety of angles. He is extremely comfortable in passing with the outside of his right boot which is a skill that he uses to roll the ball through tight lines. Palavecino is intelligent at distributing possession when he has a plethora of passing options and can oversee the pitch, making quick decision while he is capable of playing shorter and simpler passing interchanges before moving into space and orienting one-touch passes into the next line.

Palavecino’s future lies as a box-to-box midfielder or as a deeper-lying playmaker as he still has the ability to connect play in between the lines, play through balls and make intelligent runs into the box to receive possession. The midfield maestro is exceptional at moving into either the left sided centre-back role or the right sided centre-back role to create a three-chain to drive and progress play as he can work with a more defensive-minded player martialling the six-space. As a deeper-lying midfielder, he will need to be coached in making timed drops into the six-space to receive possession while he would thrive in a possession-based system, especially with 8s dropping into space to play one-touch passes in between the lines. Although he has shown some potential with his directional first touch, more drill work will be needed for him to receive possession to turn to drive the ball and play progressive passes as there are games where he relies on laying off the ball when operating in the deeper areas. Palavecino will thrive as a deeper-lying operator in the final third with his ability to switch the ball, thread passes in between the lines and recognize runners for through balls.

Defensively, Palavecino has impressive mobility and anticipation sliding across to make well-timed tackles and interceptions as he is not afraid to go to ground to regain possession. His manoeuvre of poking the ball out of the stride of an opposition player before shielding the ball is a very clean fashion of regaining possession while he is also strong in covering space and regaining possession in the pressing phase. He will need to add more muscle to his physique as he can get shoved off the ball in certain situations while he may also tend to lose some fifty-fifty battles. Extra muscle will also be integral in possession in allowing him to scan and turn out of situations to shield the ball to draw fouls.

Palavecino’s age could be a concern but it is important to remember that Fernandinho joined Manchester City at 28, Thomas Partey joined Arsenal at 27, Thiago Alcantara joined Liverpool at 29 as Casemiro joined Manchester United at 30 as for deeper-lying players, bigger Premier League teams prefer specialists to young prodigies. Palavecino could be an alternative to Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey at Arsenal as their alternatives are 22-year-old Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Viera while Arsenal may need a replacement for Mohamed Elneny. Palavecino suits Arsenal’s style of play with their tight player spacing while he can play line-breaking passes from the deeper positions like Partey or from the left like Xhaka, being able to switch possession to their talented set of wingers for 1v1 opportunities. Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal as a 29-year-old before being shifted into a defensive midfield role by Arsene Wenger as Arteta and Palavecino are similar players. Manchester United would be another good move for him as he could operate in a double-pivot with Casemiro with progressive passing responsibility from deep as he could drop into the defensive three-chain in the build-up phase with the Brazilian holding the six-space. He would also add defensive mobility next to the aging Brazilian bringing different attributes to Manchester United’s core of deeper-lying midfielders.

Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion, who may need to replace Pascal Gross, in a year would also be great options for him. Peter Bosz at Lyon who repurposed Lasse Schone as a deeper-lying midfielder at Ajax as a 30-year-old could also utilize 25-year-old, Palavecino at the base of his midfield. Palavecino could be a solid acquisition for Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio, Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta while Sassuolo, Torino and Fiorentina would suit him as his playing style would certainly suit Serie A. In Portugal, Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon will also be a good place for the midfielder to re-establish himself in a deeper role. Palavecino will be turning 26 later this year and possesses immense potential in the latter years of his career as a club signing him and repurposing him at an advanced age would not be foreign to the history of the current and past market. River Plate have a deeper selection of midfielders and are always willing to part with a prized asset for a fee as Palavecino may be undervalued at the club.