AS Roma are a club historically marked by legendary Brazilian right-backs such as Cafu and Maicon.
Now, I Giallorossi have signed potentially another one in Wesley França.
The deal reinforces Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad with a quality right-back capable of upgrading the team’s balance, solidity and threat on that flank.
This scout report will assess Wesley’s abilities and compare them to those of the starting right-back, Mehmet Zeki Çelik, to determine how Wesley fits into the picture.
The player analysis will also identify what Wesley needs to improve in order to be successful at Roma under Gian Piero Gasperini tactics.
Who Is Wesley França?
Wesley is a 21-year-old right-back who started his career at Atlético Tubarão before joining Flamengo soon after, in December 2021.
Wesley has attracted considerable attention, especially from European teams, during the past few seasons.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup made things clearer for those interested in the Brazilian international’s services.
Choosing to move to AS Roma as his first European destination can be considered a double-edged sword.
Roma are known for being a club whose environment is complicated due to media and fan scrutiny.
This makes it a bit complicated for some players to adapt to their mentality and lifestyle in general.
That said, joining Roma during the current period is very positive, mainly because the club seems to be heading in the right direction, especially following Claudio Ranieri‘s work last season.
It is also important to note that Ranieri is still working with the current management, which brings some continuity from the previous campaign.
What is even more positive for Wesley is that he will be coached by a manager who is experienced in experimenting with talents and helping them reach their full potential.
We are talking about Gian Piero Gasperini, who just started coaching Roma a few weeks ago.
He is capable of improving Wesley’s performances and making him shine in Serie A if they get along well and if Wesley adapts well to Serie A and Gian Piero Gasperini’s tactics.
That said, Wesley is a flexible right-back who is mainly used to a back four rather than a back three.
That would represent the initial challenge for Wesley, as he will have to adapt to his new position according to Gasperini’s preferred 3-5-2 formation or 3-4-3 formation.
It is essential to know that Wesley masters both the defensive and attacking phases.
He has the qualities needed for both roles and the technical capacities that make him a dangerous playmaking right-back.
Therefore, it will not be problematic for him to play with more freedom as a wing-back in Gasperini’s system, knowing that such a role would grant him extra freedom of movement in attack and fewer defensive restrictions.
Wesley França Heat Map
Under Gasperini’s management, Wesley will advance more often and participate in Roma’s triangular passes on the wing, as that’s one of Gasperini’s attacking tools to reach the opposing goal.
Playing as a wing-back will also increase his potential goalscoring and assist-making numbers as he will be playing closer to the final third.
Therefore, Wesley should exploit the opportunity to play in an advanced position with a defender covering for him and be crucial upfront.
As the above heat map shows, Wesley is a right-back who likes to advance and is comfortable playing in a more advanced position.
This is mainly because he is a very technical player who knows how to battle physically when needed.
In terms of abilities, Wesley is a player who likes duels and dribbling past players.
His Brazilian background says a lot about his footballing attitude and personality.
He is a right-back who wins many duels per game, knows how to get out of complicated situations, and plays well under pressure.
His dribbling techniques, agile movements, and accelerations make him a potential world-class right-back if he continues improving and avoids a decline in performance.
Accurate passing can also be considered one of Wesley’s most striking strengths, as shown in the following pizza chart.
Yet, Gasperini will have to work with Wesley to improve his dangerous and progressive passing rates.
Increasing those two passing types would make Wesley a much more valuable player, especially in the playmaking process.
Another very useful trait that Wesley masters is dribbling and the ability to use his skills in favour of the team.
Therefore, combining his dribbling skills with dangerous passing whenever he reaches the final third would be very beneficial for the team.
Furthermore, his crossing quality is also outstanding from the right wing.
The advantage that he adds to Roma is the ability to cross with accuracy using both the right and the left foot, knowing that he has already provided assists using the left foot, too.
Nevertheless, working on improving his shooting numbers and his overall goal contribution will be essential for him to make a significant impact at Roma and secure his starting spot for the long term, given that his goal contribution rates are not convincing at the moment.
At the same time, it is crucial to consider that playing as a right-back can be limiting in terms of goal contribution due to the role’s defensive duties, as opposed to the wing-back position, which allows more attacking freedom.
Defensively, Wesley’s contribution can be considered good enough overall, with more work required regarding aerial duels, positioning, and defensive duels, despite his relative strength in defensive duels.
Wesley França Pizza Chart
Wesley França Vs Mehmet Zeki Çelik
Comparing him to Mehmet Zeki Çelik, we can argue that Zeki Çelik is actually better in terms of dribbling, dangerous passing, positioning and has a slight advantage in goal contribution as well.
At the same time, Wesley is better in terms of accurate passing, defensive and aerial duels, and accurate passing.
Wesley will definitely need to improve his attacking statistics and be more involved in goal contribution and dangerous passing attempts.
If only using one of the two, the following radar graphic also suggests that Zeki Çelik has the abilities needed to preserve his starting spot and oblige Wesley to put in extra effort to earn the chance to become a starter, even though Wesley has the potential to improve his numbers next season significantly.
There is also scope for Gasperini to play the two together, with Zeki Çelik moving to right centre-back, as has been seen before, including this pre-season, which seems a likely outcome as we approach the season’s start, given Wesley’s signing.
Wesley França Playmaking & Defensive Abilities
Wesley França Crossing Abilities
Here, we see one of Wesley’s numerous crosses from the right wing, which highlights the quality with which he serves his teammates, making it easier for them to score headers inside the box.
What is even more remarkable about Wesley is that he proved his capability of crossing with extreme accuracy, even when using his left foot, representing a significant trait (two-footedness).
Furthermore, Wesley offers an immense variety of attacking solutions.
He has proven on numerous occasions that he can be very dangerous near or inside the box, whether with key passing, dribbling, or finishing.
Wesley França Finishing
The examples for his goal contribution actions are many and can vary a lot, ranging from excellent dribbles combined with crosses, through passes, or finishes inside the box.
The following one highlights his ability to free himself inside the box and finish using his left foot in a very mature fashion.
It would be extremely useful for Wesley and Roma to further enhance his finishing abilities and rely on him to always be involved in the assist-making and goalscoring process, knowing that Gasperini is one of the managers who encourages such versatility and attacking contribution, especially when it comes to his wing-backs.
When it comes to his defensive performances, Wesley’s performances with Flamengo suggest that he is one of the most active and aggressive right-backs currently.
Exceptional abilities in one-on-one duels characterise him.
On many occasions, he showed that he used his physical strength and pace to win the ball back and avoid being surpassed.
Wesley’s objective is to succeed in doing so efficiently and without making many dangerous fouls.
Wesley França Sliding Tackles
In addition to his ability to intercept passes and use his pace to intercept passes, Wesley resorts to sliding tackles so often that he can be considered one of the best at the moment in this regard, since he times them well and is usually crucial with such tackles.
The next picture highlights how crucial Wesley can be when resorting to sliding tackles.
He saved his team from a very dangerous goalscoring action thanks to a well-timed tackle to get the ball from the opponent’s feet despite being the last defender.
This also proves that Wesley has a strong personality and takes calculated risks whenever necessary.
Conclusion
Wesley represents a valuable addition to Roma’s squad.
The Brazilian will surely become one of Gasperini’s reliable weapons this season, especially if he adapts well to Serie A and his head coach’s ideas.
Yet, Wesley can become even more helpful to Roma if he works hard following his arrival to earn sufficient playing time.
