Werley was born in Oliveira, Minas Gerais, and joined Atlético Mineiro's youth setup in 2002, aged 14, after starting it out at Social.

After a loan stint at fellow Rio de Janeiro's club Boavista, Werley was definitely promoted to the main squad by manager Emerson Leão.

He made his first team debut on 15 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute for Marcos Rocha in a 1–2 away loss against fierce rivals Cruzeiro for the Campeonato Mineiro championship.

[5] On 29 June, after being a regular starter, he definitely joined the club, after being involved in Victor's transfer to Atlético.

[7] A starter during the whole Campeonato Paulista, he lost his starting spot in August, being overtaken by Gustavo Henrique.