AS Monaco have moved to add another attack-minded option on the left side, signing Flávio Nazinho from Cercle Bruges KSV for €5 million on a four-year contract.
The 23-year-old arrives with a strong reputation in Belgium after standing out as one of the league's better full-backs last season. In 32 league appearances, Nazinho scored three goals and added seven assists, production that fits the profile Monaco wanted from a player who can operate anywhere down the left flank.
Why Monaco wanted Nazinho
Nazinho is most effective as a wing-back, whether in a back three or a back four, and that flexibility should help him settle into Filipe Luís’s system. Sharing the same language also gives him a smoother path into the squad, especially at a club that expects its full-backs to contribute in the final third.
That attacking edge is part of what made him appealing. A club employee described his athletic profile as extraordinary, noting that he was among the fastest players in the squad and had already been clocked at 36 or 37 km/h. A former teammate also pointed to his powerful shot, particularly from free kicks, and said he became one of the team's best players last season.
Nazinho has already made two pre-season appearances for Monaco, an early sign that he is moving quickly into the mix. For a new signing brought in for a relatively modest fee by modern transfer standards, that kind of early involvement matters.
Room to improve
The upside is clear, but so are the details Monaco will want to refine. Nazinho was one of the Belgian league's standout full-backs last season, yet he also picked up 14 yellow cards, a number that points to both aggression and occasional frustration. One former teammate said he can lose control when things get heated, while another noted that he is at his best when a centre-back is covering behind him.
Defensively, there is still some work to do. A club employee said he has already improved in that area, but can still make progress with his positioning. Even so, Monaco are not buying a finished product as much as a player who already offers end product, speed and the ability to influence matches from the flank.
There is also a wider national-team angle. Last year, despite injuries, Nazinho was pre-selected by Roberto Martínez for Portugal's senior national team, a sign of how highly he is regarded. Carlos Forbs was ultimately preferred, but the fact that Nazinho was in that conversation says plenty about his ceiling.
For Monaco, the move is straightforward: add a young left-sided defender with pace, delivery and growth potential, then give him a platform to develop quickly. The early pre-season signs suggest they may already have found a useful fit.
