Markus Krösche and his team must have had a detailed picture of Willian Pacho before the World Cup in Qatar. The centre-back was part of Ecuador’s World Cup squad but was not used in the South Americans’ three group games. That and the fact that the 21-year-old at Royal Antwerp does not necessarily attract the attention of the world public makes him seem like an insider tip for many.
For an insider tip, however, 16 million euros is quite a lot – all the more remarkable when a club like Frankfurt Eintracht pays such a sum. Pacho, who was transferred from Independiente del Valle to Antwerp for just under three million euros last year, will become the second most expensive signing in SGE history in the summer, according to Belgian media. Only Luka Jovic was more expensive, whose fee added up to over 22 million euros due to all sorts of bonuses.
N’Dicka’s legacy
Sports director Krösche will be sure that he has a really big fish on the line with the defender. The plan with Pacho is obvious in terms of systems and position: the 1.87 meter man is at home in the center of defense with his strong left foot. As is well known, Evan N’Dicka plays there for the Hessians – still. There are many indications that the 23-year-old Frenchman will be making a free transfer in the summer.
When analyzing Pacho’s performances, parallels to N’Dicka are immediately apparent: the Ecuadorian plays in a similarly dynamic and resolute manner, impresses with clever, courageous duel leadership and good positional play. The headball strength and basic speed required for the game as a central defender are also available.
big jump
Both at first and second glance, a strong overall package that Pacho – if the transfer actually occurs – would bring with him to the Main metropolis. It remains to be seen how the left foot will make the big leap to Germany. The top strikers in the Bundesliga can quickly make courageous defensive behavior look overconfident.
