Profile
Season stats
Full career & schedule →Domestic-league season · Santos.
Injury-affected season
Missed 5 of Santos's ~38 games this season through 5 injury absences (calf, muscle). He still appeared 13 times — a solid return given how little of the season he was available. His rating is judged mainly on the games he was fit to play.
Performance data · by competition
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Serie A | 13 | 0 | 0 | 788 | 6.89 |
Scout report
Willian Arão is a 34-year-old defensive midfielder at Santos, rated 13.9 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 400th of 413 on scout potential in the Serie A. A seasoned veteran, he has been a fringe squad member this season (26.5% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 3.43 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Arão.
Judged on this season alone, Arão graded 8 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 55th of 57 of the 57 defensive midfielders in the Serie A, on 0 goals, 0 assists and 3.426 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 11 → 8). Over the 6 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2022/23.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 14, 56th of 57 of the 57 defensive midfielders in the Serie A. At 34 Arão is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 2 reflects that trajectory.
Read the appearance count in context: Arão missed 5 games through injury (calf, muscle) out of roughly 38 this season. The 13 he did play is a solid return on the time he was fit, and his ratings are weighted toward those games rather than the ones he sat out injured.
Past his 2022/23 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
Output in context · Santos finished 12th of 20 · a mid-table side
3.43 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — moderate defensive volume, with 2 clean sheets across 13 appearances.
Watch points
- Game time. Only 26.5% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
- Age curve. At 34, both level and resale value are on the downslope.
- Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.
Outlook
With a Rating of 13.9, Arão carries the 56th-highest potential of the defensive midfielders in the Serie A of 57 — though on just 13 appearances this season, so the standing rests on a small sample. Defensively he reads as moderate defensive volume (3.43 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.6× and falling).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
Season statistics
Bars = where he ranks among defensive midfielders in the Serie A with 600+ minutes this season.
Shooting
Passing
Possession
Defending
Yellow/red cards
Transfer news
No transfer news found for this player.
