Jhon Arias said his goodbyes to Fluminense ahead of his transfer to Wolves.
After Fluminense rejected Wolves’ first bid for Arias, the Wanderers returned with a second offer on Wednesday evening that was accepted.
Arias will join Wolves after agreeing a £19 million transfer to Molineux, with the 27-year-old finally fulfilling his dream of playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Wolves fans are excited about Arias becoming a Premier League player, seeing him as a potential replacement for Matheus Cunha.
It also speaks volumes of his talent when Fluminense supporters are heartbroken to see him leave, with Arias playing his final game for the club in the early hours of Friday morning.
How Brazil’s media rated Jhon Arias for Fluminense vs Cruzeiro
Throughout the entire process, Arias has been respectful to the Brazilian giants, expressing his love for the club by continuing to wear their colours, while also outlining his desire to join Wolves.
The fleet-footed winger played 90 minutes in his final match for Fluminense against Cruzeiro, and unfortunately, the game ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Reacting to his performance, Brazilian media outlet Ge Globo handed him a 6.5 rating and wrote: “He suffered from double and sometimes even triple markings from Cruzeiro. Still, he was the one who was in the most danger when he got an escape.”
Arias caused the ‘most danger’ of any Fluminense attacker, but some rigid defensive work from Cruzeiro thwarted his efforts.
The exciting winger carried the threat that his teammates failed to deliver, and that has been a common narrative when looking back on his time at the club.
A loss wasn’t how Arias dreamed of his farewell match ending. However, the statistics suggest he deserved more from the game.
Arias stats vs Cruzeiro
Arias has been praised by the world’s best during his time at Fluminense, with his performances at the Club World Cup seeing his stock skyrocket even further.
The diminutive attacker continued to showcase why Wolves wanted to sign him during the defeat to Cruzeiro as he constantly looked to make things happen in the final third.
| Jhon Arias stats vs Cruzeiro |
| 90 minutes played |
| 0.25 xG |
| 0.58 xA |
| 71 touches |
| 5 key passes |
| 3 accurate crosses |
| 88% pass completion (42/48) |
As the table above depicts, Arias made five key passes, three accurate crosses, and garnered a total of 0.83 for expected goals and expected assists.
It was a performance that will certainly make the Old Gold feel even more excited to see him in England, with his transfer close to completion.