Pundit says Nottingham Forest-bound star was tipped to be better than £60m Tottenham trickster

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Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery has told TalkSPORT that Nottingham Forest-bound Gustavo Scarpa was once viewed as being better than Richarlison.

The Reds have completed a deal to sign the left-footed player in January. He will move to the club on a free transfer and arrive after winning the title with Palmeiras.

Scarpa is a versatile attacker and he really caught the eye in 2022. He scored 12 goals and claimed 17 assists as the Brazilian outfit won the league at an absolute canter.

It was initially anticipated that the 28-year-old would join Olympiacos. The fact they’re not in the Champions League has changed that though and the player will head to the City Ground.

Scarpa knows he will have a challenge on his hands in England. He’s never played outside of Brazil before but has always held a desire to sample European football during his career.

Prior to signing for Palmeiras, the player made 111 appearances for Fluminense. There, he played alongside Richarlison who signed for Tottenham for £60 million during the summer transfer window.

Vickery believes that many supporters of the club fancied Scarpa to have a better career than the current Premier League player.

He told TalkSPORT (8th November; 3:45pm): “I remember, a few years back, he was playing in the same Fluminense side as Richarlison.

“If you stopped 100 Fluminense fans on the street and asked ‘which is going to the big star?’, 99 of them would have said, Gustavo Scarpa.

“Richarlison has that Kamikaze physicality but Scarpa doesn’t have that.”

Vickery was once viewed as being better than Richarlison

Forest look to have got themselves an exciting player. Certainly, having a left-footed attacker in their ranks wouldn’t go amiss.

Scarpa will provide competition to Steve Cooper’s team. It will be full steam ahead in the battle to avoid relegation after the World Cup and more players will be sought.

The talented player should arrive at Forest in his prime. He’s on the back of some amazing form at Palmeiras and he should arrive at the club full of confidence.

Scarpa will have work to do in order to convince some supporters of his quality. After comparisons to Richarlison, however, he does look like an exciting addition to the ranks.