Joao Gomes has been the talk of the town since his huge performance for Wolves against Chelsea on Saturday.
Gomes played in midfield alongside Mario Lemina, with Ruben Neves suspended for the game after getting his 10th booking of the season against Nottingham Forest.
Gomes and Lemina played central, with Matheus Nunes operating from the right and Daniel Podence on the left.
It was a bold show of faith from Julen Lopetegui in the young Brazilian.
But he fully justified his selection, and put in his best performance since coming to the club for £15 million in January from Flamengo.
It was amazing to see the energy he brought and how busy he was. It felt like Gomes was everywhere and winning the ball back constantly for his side.
Sofascore data indicated he contested 20 duels in the game. He also put in five tackles and made four clearances.
Following his and Lemina’s exploits in the engine room, it is little wonder Jose Sa had just one shot on target to deal with in the game.
Wolves fans are very excited about Gomes’ potential. They were before the game with Chelsea, and they are even more so now.
It feels as though the future of Wolves’ midfield could be very bright.
Edwards had a word to say on Gomes in his latest Express & Star column, and has shared how those behind the scenes feel about the South American.
He said: “In Ruben Neves’ absence, Joao Gomes is the real deal.
“When you speak to people inside the club at Wolves and what they see from him in training every single day – they think he is going to be a top, top player.
“It is just getting him in the team at the right time. I thought he was incredible and he did absolutely everything you would want from a midfielder – he was combative, he won the ball back so many times, and he used it really well when he was on it too.”
A very encouraging claim from Dave Edwards about Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes
Edwards is well connected at Wolves so these comments about Gomes are very encouraging indeed.
He is clearly catching the eye since his move from Flamengo and it’s exciting to think about the level he could reach in the coming months.
He was fantastic against Chelsea, on what was only his fifth appearance for the club.
Wolves could be losing one or two of their senior midfielders this summer.
But there is at least some peace in the knowledge that in Gomes, there is a fantastic young talent waiting in the wings.