Wolves have hit the jackpot on a “top talent” who is now worth more than Diogo Jota

Last summer, Wolverhampton Wanderers received funding. Julen Lopetegui succeeded in lifting Molineux deep into the Premier League and finished 13th, but financial problems saw the Spaniard leave before the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

Lopetegui may have felt dissatisfied, confused, even, but the clear truth was that funds were needed and thus the big money names reached the end of their Wolves career, with Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins among the biggest sales.

The shrewdly appointed Gary O'Neil has combined his shrewd mind with human action to ensure that the Old Gold have moved from contention to enjoy a confident position in the Premier League's midfield.

Now, Wolves have been placed in a good position in terms of compliance with the rules of the financial fair play, and although there is no pressing need to sell, the Telegraph has revealed that Manchester City and Newcastle United are interested in Pedro Neto, who is worth £60m. .

It would be a record fee, surpassing even last summer's high-profile move, but he's not the only notable figure in O'Neil's squad to face the prospect of the summer's biggest speculation.

Indeed, Joao Gomes is attracting the interest of other big outfits, and the Brazilian will surely fetch a good penny.

Why Wolves signed Joao Gomes

Wolves signed Gomes from Brazilian side Flamengo for £15m in January 2023. Lopetegui was keen to bring the talented youngster to the Midlands but faced late drama when Lyon tabled a more attractive offer, leading Flamengo to suspend talks with the Premier League suitors. .

But, to Gomes' credit, he liked the Molineux project and insisted he wanted a move to Wolves, with the Brasileiro Serie A side eventually withdrawing.

Defined as “accurate and strong tackler“With talent scout Jacek Kulig based on his performances in his homeland, where he made 117 appearances for Flamengo after graduating from their academy, the 23-year-old is seen as a rising talent to succeed the recently departed Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker.

He got off to a good start in England, starting seven Premier League games in the second half of the 2022/2023 season, but has developed into one of the worst midfielders in the business.

Joao Gomes' season by the numbers

Gomes earned the moniker of “The Pitbull” in Brazil and it is clear that such a nickname has been given in the right way. This season, O'Neil's Wolves project has started admirably and the pre-season predictions of the Old Gold's relegation were very wide.

The 5 foot 9 Gomes has been key, making 34 appearances in the Premier League this season, starting 32 times, and being a regular substitute.

The table above shows his improved results throughout the 2023/24 season compared to his entry into Premier League football, although the team ate less food under O'Neil compared to Lopetegui, he had a lot on his plate and was therefore included. challenging situations and so on.

To emphasize this point: according to FBref, the South American star ranked among the top 1% of midfielders in all five top European leagues last year in attacks and in the top 12% of blocks made in 90.

Such metrics truly reflect Gomes' innate aggression and brilliance in key defensive moments, retooling and asserting his authority in the middle of the park to charge O'Neil's fast-paced, counter-attacking philosophy.

Also, such metrics make the interest from clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United more obvious.

Joao Gomes market value in 2024

Arsenal certainly have Gomes on their radar ahead of the transfer window, and the Red Devils have made the £30k-a-week ace a “stud”, according to Football Transfers.

O'Neil called Gomes a “super talent” when praising his skill set and went on to say: “He's been very good. At his age and his lack of experience in Premier League football, it's still something you have to work with him and try to improve, but as a starter with the qualities he has, he's at a very high level. , very good level.”

Given that, according to the CIES Football Observatory's player valuation model, Gomes is actually the most valuable player in the Wolves squad at £43m, it is clear that the club have well and truly hit the jackpot with a £28m increase in relation to his £. 15m transfer fee.

Of course, the possible sale of Neto puts him over the top but this should not affect Gomes's meteoric ascent, who is now one of the best and strongest stars in the Premier League.

He has even surpassed Diogo Jota's transfer fee, both in terms of the converted price tag and his CIES-estimated market value, with the Liverpool powerhouse marked at a £34m mark.

Nathan Collins is the most important of any recent Wolves sales, seeing a £20m increase in value, but, as mentioned earlier, the Brazilian star's £28m rise underlines just how good his impact has been in England.

But it is still very interesting that he has risen above Jota, who has had injury problems with Liverpool but was praised as “deadly” forward is commentator Raj Chohan, who ranked in the top 1% of players in Europe's top five leagues last year with 90 goals scored.

Gomes is busy and while his continued rise may leave Wolves struggling to secure his signature in the long term, there is no question that they have already won a highly-rated star.