By Myles Palmer
Brazilian Alex Gontijo emailed two weeks ago to say that Arsenal scouts have been watching Deco.
Stocky, skilful and tenacious, Deco is a playmaker who likes a tackle and takes good free-kicks.
He said he would play for Brazil or Portugal, whoever picked him first.
He got an EU passport in February and Scolari brought him on as a sub against Brazil to take that free-kick after Robert Carlos barged the ref.
That was how Deco scored the winning goal on his debut.
I wrote here about that match on 31st March in IF ONLY
ENGLAND COULD BE TRANSFORMED LIKE PORTUGAL !
Tonight Deco will be tangling with Neil Lennon in Seville as Porto try to take the UEFA Cup to Portugal for the first time.
To me, Deco is a throwback, a round-faced Latin-Yugoslav inside forward from the Sixties.
Deco does what Joe Cole promises to do.
He lacks pace but he has guts, two good feet and tremendous short-passing skills.
Alex says Porto is a PLC with big debts and needs to sell.
Charlie Nicholas says Deco reminds him of Aimar.
Nor really , Charlie.
Aimar is much more quick and nimble, a touch player who plays one-twos, not a terrier who creates AND wins the ball.
Porto are better than Celtic.
But that does not mean Porto will win.
I’d never bet against Henrik Larsson.
And Chris Sutton is a target man George Graham wanted to sign to Arsenal from Norwich about 50 years ago.
21st May 2003.