Khellven shines as Palmeiras starter after mixed debut season | OneFootball

Khellven joined Palmeiras in August this year, received opportunities with Abel Ferreira and, despite some fluctuations, ended the year as the starting right-back for Verdão. In 2026, the 24-year-old full-back will continue competing for the position with Giay, but hopes to become the undisputed starter for Alviverde.

Returning to Brazilian football after two years at CSKA in Russia, Khellven joined Palmeiras to fill the gap left by Mayke, who had been at the club since 2017. The right-back was signed for R$ 32 million and signed a contract until July 2030.

Khellven was registered in the Daily Information Bulletin (BID) on August 6. Thus, he was available for 29 matches but played in 19. In the games he participated in, the right-back started as a starter in 16 opportunities and came off the bench in only three.

In these 19 matches, Khellven contributed with two assists: in the 3-2 defeat against Flamengo and in the 2-0 victory over Juventude, both in the Brazilian Championship

Fluctuation

The right-back was an important piece in Palmeiras' good phase and had a streak of eight games as a starter. In the matches against Sport, Corinthians, Internacional, River Plate (2), Flamengo, LDU, and Cruzeiro, between August 25 and October 26, Khellven was among the starting eleven and only went to the bench on the “magical night,” when Abel opted for a more offensive approach and Verdão defeated LDU 4-0.

After the streak, Khellven was a starter in nine more matches until the end of the season, including the Libertadores final against Flamengo. However, the player had an inconsistent performance, as did the rest of the Palmeiras squad. Even being frequently substituted by Giay, his competitor for the position, the former Athletico-PR player remained among the starting eleven at the end of the Brasileirão.

Khellven's Numbers

In the defensive aspect, Khellven showed fluctuations. According to numbers from Sofascore, in his 19 games, the full-back was dribbled past, on average, once per match and registered an average of 0.63 interceptions per game. In the offensive sector, he performed better: there were 28 long passes, 10 successful dribbles, and an average pass accuracy of 80%.

Next Season

Khellven and the rest of the Palmeiras squad will report back to the Football Academy on January 4 for the start of the pre-season. Verdão's first match in 2026 will be against Portuguesa at Canindé on January 11, for the first round of the Paulistão.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.