Nathan (footballer, born 1996)

Nathan

150px Nathan in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Nathan Allan de Souza
Date of birth	(1996-03-13) 13 March 1996
Place of birth	Blumenau, Brazil
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Chelsea
Youth career
2009–2013	Atlético Paranaense
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2015	Atlético Paranaense	11	(0)
2015–	Chelsea	0	(0)
2015–2016	→ Vitesse (loan)	18	(2)
International career
2013–2014	Brazil U17	5	(5)
2014–	Brazil U20	14	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 April 2016

Nathan Allan de Souza (born 13 March 1996), simply known as Nathan, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chelsea. Mainly an attacking midfielder, he can also play as a left winger or as a second striker.

Club career

Atlético Paranaense

Born in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Nathan joined Atlético Paranaense's prolific youth setup in 2009, at the age of 13. He was promoted to the main squad in 2014, initially appearing with the under-23 team in Campeonato Paranaense. His debut came on 29 January in the first stage of the Copa Libertadores away at Sporting Cristal, playing ten minutes in place of Marcelo Cirino in a 1–2 loss. A week later in the second leg, he came on as a substitute and had his attempt saved in the penalty shootout, although his team advanced nonetheless.

Nathan made his Série A debut on 22 May, coming on as a second-half substitute for Paulinho Dias in a 1–1 away draw against Corinthians. In October, after rejecting a contract renewal, the club and the player went to court, with him being demoted back to the under-23s.

Chelsea

On 1 July 2015, Nathan joined Chelsea for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be in the region of £4.5 million, having initially confirming he had signed in May 2015.

Loan to Vitesse

Nine days after signing for Chelsea, it was announced that Nathan was join to Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem on loan, along with Isaiah Brown and Lewis Baker. He made his debut on 6 August in a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg against Southampton at the GelreDome, replacing Baker for the final 21 minutes of a 0–2 home defeat for a 0–5 aggregate elimination. He made his Eredivisie debut three days later in a 1–1 draw against Willem II, replacing Brown with 25 minutes to spare. On 14 August he scored his first goal, again as a substitute, concluding a 3–0 home win over Roda JC.

International career

Nathan has represented Brazil in both under-17 and under-20 levels. He made his debut with the under-17s during the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, scoring five goals, including braces in the 6–1 group stage wins against Slovakia and hosts United Arab Emirates. He scored their equaliser in the 1–1 draw against holders Mexico in the quarter-finals and netted in the subsequent penalty shootout, but Mexico won 11–10. Nathan was voted as the second best player of the tournament, winning the Silver Ball.

He was also included in Alexandre Gallo's 23-man squad for the 2015 South American Youth Championship held in Uruguay. Nathan appeared in all matches during the competition, scoring his first goal on 4 February, netting the first in a 5–0 routing over Peru.

Style of play

Tim Vickery, a reporter on South American football, called Nathan "a playmaker who can thread a little pass". He said that although he performed well as an under-17 international, his performances at under-20 were below standard, concluding that "it’s difficult to see what he has done in the last season to justify" interest from Chelsea.

Career statistics

As of 13 March 2016.

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Atlético Paranaense	2013	Série A	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
	2014		0	0	2	0	2	0	7	1	11	1
	2015		0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0
Total			11	0	2	0	2	0	9	1	24	1
Vitesse Arnhem (loan)	2015–16	Eredivisie	16	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	17	2
Career totals			27	2	2	0	3	0	9	1	41	3

External links

• Ogol profile (Portuguese)
• Nathan at Soccerway