Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has shared his delight over working with one Molineux ace, amid transfer speculation from Arsenal.
Gary O’Neil has unearthed the best from a host of Wolves players this season, seeing his squad defy the odds to challenge for a European finish.
At the start of the 2023/24 campaign, there were concerns that Premier League survival would be a tough ask for the Midlands club, who suffered at the hands of financial restrictions in the summer.
Instead, O’Neil has raised the bar at Molineux, seeing a number of the players he inherited from Julen Lopetegui thrive, one of which recently earned high praise from his manager.
Gary O’Neil praises ‘fantastic’ improvement of Joao Gomes at Wolves
The 2023 arrival of Joao Gomes was a game-changer for Wolves, who have reaped the benefits of signing the Brazilian jewel for just £15m in the January window.
In his year-and-a-half at the club, the 23-year-old has grown significantly in quality, proving himself to be a top Premier League midfielder and recently, a Brazil international.
Last month, the former Flamengo ace earned his first call-up to Dorival Junior’s squad, starting for the five-time World Champions against England and Spain.
Speaking to the media, as relayed by Express and Star, O’Neil shared his delight over the growth of Gomes, telling of his reaction to seeing his player represent his country.
“I’m delighted with the improvements he’s made this year and what he is as a kid, we love him here.”
“He’s fantastic. He’s great to have around the place.”
“He’s desperate to be successful but you never get the feeling it’s for himself, you get the feeling it’s for the group and for the club who he feels put a lot of faith in him by bringing him over to English football.”
“You always feel he wants to repay that and it’s always the group before himself.”
“I had a big smile on my face when I saw him representing his country at Wembley and doing as well as he did. I’m delighted for him.”
Gary O’Neil admits there is still work to be done with Joao Gomes
Having become an integral part of Wolves’ squad since arriving under Lopetegui, Gomes’ rise to prominence has been impressive however, the manager has explained that he still expects more from the 23-year-old.
“It’s important we keep pushing him because of his age and there’s still a lot we can improve with him.”
“Hopefully we can get him to be a regular in the Brazil squad, which is an unbelievable achievement.”
Wolves will hope to have the £30k-a-week sensation at Molineux for years to come however, with his success has come question over his future, with recent links to Arsenal and Manchester United made in the media.
Given the way that O’Neil describes the Brazilian, it’s difficult to imagine him wanting to exit the club so soon into his career in England, with the boss also relieving speculation with recent comments, which you can read here.
The priority for Wolves is that Gomes is happy and performing, which he seems to be doing both in what has been a stellar campaign for the dynamic midfielder.