Wolverhampton Wanderers left it late to secure a 2-1 win over Tottenham in the Premier League last weekend, Mario Lemina bundling an effort into the back of the net after seven minutes of added time had been played to clinch the dramatic three points.
Gary O'Neil's side managed to overcome Ange Postecoglou's Spurs at Molineux even with star man Pedro Neto still missing through injury, other members of the Old Gold squad raising their performance levels as a result to secure Wolves their fourth win of the top-flight season already.
After a summer of significant upheaval for the West Midlands club – with players such as Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins leaving the building and ex-manager Julen Lopetegui resigning – Wolves find themselves in a commendable 12th spot and away from the relegation places they were expected to finish around.
The Old Gold already find themselves ten points above Sheffield United in 18th, any worries regarding relegation now a distant concern.
This doesn't mean O'Neil won't be tempted to strengthen his team in the upcoming January transfer window however, with rumours circulating that highly regarded Sao Paolo centre-back Lucas Beraldo could be moving to Molineux despite a summer move never getting off the ground.
Wolves transfer latest
A recent report from Brazilian publication Lance! suggests Wolves could be back in for Beraldo, Wanderers tempted by a move for the 19-year-old to add cover to the centre-back areas in the past.
Valued at £20m, Wolves are unfortunately not the only interested party with January nearly upon us – Liverpool are also heavily rumoured to be in for the teenage sensation according to reports, especially if they can land Beraldo at the reasonable asking price outlined.
O'Neil will hope Wolves can come out on top in this transfer tussle up against Jurgen Klopp's Reds, Beraldo an exciting prospect who would compete with Wolves stalwarts Craig Dawson and Max Kilman subsequently for a starting spot.
Beraldo's style of play
Yet to miss a game for Sao Paolo this season, Beraldo has shone at the back for the Brazilian giants in recent weeks.
It's even resulted in the club's passionate president Juilo Casares labelling the youngster as "great" in the wake of these new transfer rumours, Sao Paolo desperate to keep Beraldo around in Brazil for longer.
His performance in a slim 1-0 win over Cruzeiro stood out at the start of this month, winning three of his five ground duels, as per Sofascore, to help contribute to an effective shut-out of the visitors, with that an indication of his "fearless & tenacious" manner, as hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
It's his accuracy playing out from the back that will interest O'Neil greatly, completing 89.2% of his passes per 90 minutes this season when playing in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, according to FBRef, having been hailed as "an excellent mix of a pure defender & ball-playing CB" by Kulig.
A well-rounded figure – tough into a tackle but also composed in receiving the ball and launching a counter-attack – Wolves could strike gold by signing the teenager who could even displace Max Kilman in the starting line-up with his unique skill set.
How Beraldo compares to Kilman
Kilman is far more of a battler for his side than Beraldo is for his current Brazilian employers, Kilman blocking 1.96 shots over the last year, as per FBRef, whilst Beraldo comes in at a lesser 1.26.
Yet, the 19-year-old blows Kilman out of the water with his passing statistics according to FBRef – the Sao Paolo prodigy would help Wolves make their game far more progressive, completing an astounding 5.95 progressive passes per 90 over the last year.
In contrast, Kilman only comes in with an inferior 2.87.
Equally, while the latter man is not quite as adept on the ball after attempting just 56.16 passes per 90, his Brazilian counterpart, meanwhile, averages a stellar 73.25 in that regard, further evidence of the benefits that the in-demand ace could provide to the Old Gold.
With Dawson at the heart of defence already providing a staunch and resilent figure in the backline, it could well be time for O'Neil to move Kilman out of the starting eleven and place Beraldo in his spot as an attack-minded, ball-playing defender if he is signed.
