Evanilson

Evanilson finishes with an improvisation that suggests a forward who has already pictured several outcomes before the ball even arrives, curling one effort in off a post and backheeling another past a goalkeeper who expected something far more conventional. He does not simply wait centrally for service either, pulling wide into the channels to drag a centre back away from his partner and open the exact space a teammate needs. That movement is what made him a club-record signing rather than just another striker with a decent scoring record.

The tension around him has been fitness, because spells on the sidelines have interrupted momentum right when he looked ready to kick on properly. Portuguese football saw the full version across a sustained run of matches. English defences are physically rougher and less forgiving of a striker who needs rhythm, which is exactly what a long injury takes away first.