What to know about rumored Red Bulls summer target Conrado Buchanelli Holz

The Tri-State Area is simply abuzz with discussion of the latest New York Red Bulls transfer rumor. You cannot go anywhere without hearing the name Conrado Buchanelli Holz whispered in the Tesco aisle or through the garden hedge. The fever pitch continues to build around the Lechia Gdańsk player as only a transfer rumor can.

In last week’s OaM Paper Revue, we told you about Conrado and the “advanced negotiations” he was in with an unnamed MLS club, speculating that another Poland-based Brazilian could be one on the radar of a New York club that just signed Luquinhas from Legia Warsaw. Sure enough, late last week, the Red Bulls were named as the MLS team in question by Polish news aggregator account Team Lotnisko.

So hows about we learn a little more about the 25-year-old German-Italian-Brazilian wide player? Let’s go back to this interview he did with Mercado do Futebol in 2019. Conrado discussed his background and what led him to leave home for Grêmio before turning ten.

“I was born in the countryside,” said the man from the 7,000-person town of Ajuricaba. “It turns out that there aren’t many opportunities, but since I was 6 years old I was already attending school and at 9 years old I participated in the Saudades de SC Cup, where I stood out and interest from big clubs arose. That’s where I chose Grêmio… Grêmio values the [academy] a lot. I stayed ten years, which is a long time until I received the opportunity to [become professional] in 2017. This cycle from the [academy] to the professional [level] is complicated, but the club that manages to give opportunity and work [and] it [has] a lot to gain.”

He then moved to Oeste, followed by Figueirense, displaying role versatility that is a constant theme in his career. “These are two different positions because when playing as a left-back, my main focus is defending,” said Conrado. “When I play as a midfielder, I want to score goals. Then, first of all, I try to attack. Depending on where I perform, I know what to do. My first position was a winger... These are completely different positions, but I know how to play in a given setting.”

His next transfer was to Lechia Gdańsk in the Ekstraklasa. Poland has presented a different challenge, which Conrado described as having more intensity and aggression than Brazil. His original contract through June of 2022 was quickly extended another two years.

There were some adjustment issues in his new country, notably living alone and some culture clashes, but Conrado appeared to dislike one manager’s methods. “We suffered with the previous coach,” the Brazilian shared. “He had a very old-fashioned approach to the profession.”

Being that Conrado was at Oeste, one wonders if he was scouted around the same time as Fábio Gomes. Perhaps Red Bull kicked the tires, keeping him in the scouting database. Then, along comes New York desiring a wide attacker and finding a player who is a perfect fit, benefitting from the synergistic informational flow.