One Wolves player currently leads a Premier League category, with a remarkable statistic emerging about him today.
One thing that has been very evident about Wolves under Gary O’Neil is how hard the players work.
The manager has done great work with attacking players like Hwang Hee-chan, Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto to increase the output in the final third.
But Wolves are undoubtedly a fitter and more hardworking team nowadays, especially in midfield.
Mario Lemina is often lauded for his energy in the middle of the park, and is fantastic at coming out on top in 50-50s.
But he’s not quite as good as Joao Gomes when it comes to winning the ball back, with a very impressive statistic emerging about the Brazilian…
Wolves star Joao Gomes has won the most defensive duels per 90 in the Premier League in 2023/24
Wolves fans have absolutely loved watching Joao Gomes this season, after he stepped into the midfield as a regular following the exit of Ruben Neves.
The 23-year-old has been tremendous in the engine room alongside Lemina, and seems to be increasing his market value with each passing game. It is little wonder there has already been talk about interest from other clubs.
Undoubtedly, Gomes’ best trait is his ball-winning ability.
It is just remarkable how often Gomes picks the pocket of his opponent and a very impressive statistic regarding this has now come to light.
As reported by sports intelligence company Twenty3 Sport, Gomes has actually won more defensive duels per 90 (7.1) than any other player in the Premier League so far this season.
They provide a graphic for where Gomes’ key actions have come in matches in the Premier League. And the wide spread indicates that the dynamo really is just everywhere for Wolves.
What a talent Wolves have on their hands
Gomes is a seriously exciting player who could honestly become one of the game’s top midfielders in a few years.
Recently, Dave Edwards said that he has never seen a better ball-winner in a Wolves shirt than Gomes. Few would disagree with this verdict at this point.
£15 million signing Gomes has an amazing knack of winning the ball back for his team and it must be a joy for the other Wolves players to share the pitch with him – especially the attacking stars.
But we’ve seen this term that this is not solely what he is about. Gomes – dubbed ‘a super talent’ earlier this season by O’Neil – has come up with a couple of goals against Tottenham Hotspur, and also grabbed a smart assist against Fulham, and set up Matheus Cunha against Chelsea.
If he can improve further on the ball like O’Neil wants him to, then he will surely become a world-class player later on in his career.