New Recruit: Vitor Reis

If the signing of Khusanov was not a clear sign of what Manchester City was looking for in the January transfer window then it’s Vitor Reis who hammers home the point. The club is viewing this window at the start of the rebuild, deals they should have done in the summer, and preparing for next season.

Career Progression

The Brazilian central defender turned 19 on the 12th of January but has been long viewed as one of Brazil’s most promising young defenders. Born in São José dos Campos, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, Reis started his career at the R10 Academy in Paraíba and then joined Palmeiras Youth Academy in 2016 at the age of ten.

Reis would then go on to captain every age group of the club’s academy sides, playing alongside some of the most promising young Brazilians you’ve seen get big moves in the last year with Endrick (Real Madrid), Estêvão (Chelsea), and Luis Guilherme (West Ham). Captaining his country at the 2023 U17 World Cup, he faced off against another future Manchester City player, Claudio Echeverri, who was captain of Argentina in the tournament.

2024 was the breakthrough year for Vitor Reis when Murillo came off injured against Fortaleza (27th June), on came Reis for the final fifteen minutes—impressing enough to start the next match, a derby against Corinthians no less, scoring the second goal, and helping Palmeiras to keep a clean sheet. Since that match, he’d start 15 of the remaining 25 league matches.

Player Profile

Vitor Reis is a right-sided center-back, that’s where he’s played for Palmeiras and Brazil at youth level. Included below are his heat maps for last season in Serie A as well as the U17s World Cup when he captained Brazil. His composure under pressure and calmness in possession is what stands out when you watch Reis for the first time. Not rushing into tackles, or going to ground quickly. Taking his first touch into space before he's able to be pressed.

Reis isn't particularly tall (6ft 1) and has a long lanky frame, but is proven to be successful in winning aerial duels due to his timing and technique. Good leap. Winning 2.84 per 90 in his first season, 65.7% success rate. If you compare those numbers to other young defenders that have moved from Serie A into Europe, Murillo (Nottingham Forest) had won 2.40 per 90 with a 63.3% success rate, and Lucas Beraldo (PSG) had won 1.58 per 90 with a 57.6% success rate. This extends into the opposition box as a set-piece threat, something he's shown consistently at the youth level, and carried through to the first-team.

Capable of defending on the front foot, looking to intercept a pass or get tight to the opposition attacker and nick the ball. Although he can be caught out here not timing it right, it’s using his long legs to get a touch on the ball that Reis does very well.

Seems quite well suited to defending 1v1 out wide, patient in waiting for the right moment to put a foot in, delays, and positions himself well to block any path to the goal. As he develops physically you can then expect Reis to compete better in shoulder-to-shoulder duels. Like how John Stones arrived with the frame to fill out, Vitor Reis is the same. The same composure you see on the ball extends to his defending. Has the long powerful strides to make recovery runs, whether it's to catch an attacker or retreat into the box.

When it comes to playing for Manchester City I think we are most likely going to see two different options from Reis. Starting at a right-back that tucks inside to form a back three or starting as the RCB with the right-back pushing up into midfield.

Composed on the ball, can easily drive long passes, is comfortable with both feet, fizzing passes into the midfielders on the ground in the middle third, and can hit switches as well as long passes in behind for forwards. It's all there for him to be an important passer in the back line, but we haven't seen as much volume and risk taken as at youth level. Quite safe and secure in his first Serie A season. Understandable but something to improve on.

If you want to get a further look at his passing ability, which as mentioned is very good, it’s just increasing the volume and not playing as safe, then check out the video linked below. Reis can switch the ball out to the winger on the left side, chip balls down the line or in behind for the right winger, and look for long-driven balls into the box. You see all of those in the video.

Wider Impact

When It comes to the impact on the squad, all of the current central defenders are close to if not going to be 30+ by the time next season starts. Vitor Reis, along with Khusanov, will bring down the age profile for central defenders, allow the club space to move a defender on in the summer, and succeed others long-term.

Away from anything to do with Reis’s technical ability and defensive capabilities, let’s just look at the impact he could have on the minutes share. Below is the run of games since the November International break. Whilst Nathan Ake has struggled with injuries, Josko Gvardiol is then unable to get a rest. If Kyle Walker is injured or not in the squad, Rico Lewis then has to play every match without a rest. Then we look at the central defenders, given Stones has been out for most of the season, that has a knock-on effect on the others having to play much more. Increasing the strain, just as we’ve seen in midfield positions. Since the League Cup defeat to Spurs, Manchester City has struggled to field a consistent backline, the two back-to-back Premier League wins came with the same combination at the back.

For the senior defenders in the summer, I think it’s quite clear that one of them will be moved on and as much as it pains me to say, the likely contender is John Stones due to his injury struggles. If you want to learn more about what Hugo Viana could need to do in the summer then check out the article below. 👇

This does have an impact on some younger players coming through. Simpson-Pusey (19) has picked up some minutes this season, getting an opportunity due to injuries in the squad. Max Alleyne (19) is another good young CB at the same age, playing for the EDS and training with the first team. I think both of these players will be considering their options in the summer to go play first-team football. Whether it’s a sale or loan.

Coming through the CFA there is a younger crop of talented young defenders in Stephen Mfuni (16), Kaden Braithwaite (16), Dante Headley (16), and Marlow Barret (16) that they can expect to push for a first-team spot in a couple of years. Their pathway is still open.

Whilst playing for Palmeiras Vitor Reis wore #44 which is also available to wear for Manchester City so that seems the most likely choice. When he was captaining Brazil at the 2023 U17s World Cup Reis wore #3 which is already taken by Ruben Dias.

So in the short term, Reis can provide some rotation across the backline, which will ideally keep more senior players fresh for Important Premier League/Champions League matches. Likely to be further behind in his development than Khusanov so you’d want to ease him in more slowly. Get a head start on his integration into the team, be ready for the Club World Cup, and start the 25/26 season on the front foot. The long term very much depends on how his progression at Manchester City goes, but his profile suggests that they have a successor to John Stones. Someone who can take the lead by carrying the ball out from the back, progress the ball with his passes on the ground or in the air, and be dependable in his defensive role due to how well he reads the game.

As mentioned throughout this newsletter, Vitor Reis isn’t the only central defender Manchester City bought in January so if you want to learn more about Abdukodir Khusanov then check out this post linked below. 👇

If you’re looking for more content on Vitor Reis then I recommend reading this article by The Near Post 👇

If you’re looking for a podcast, then I’d check out the opening 15 minutes from the latest Copa Club podcast. 👇

If you’re looking for a thread on Reis then I’d recommend checking out this one linked below. 👇