It didn’t work out at all for Willian Jose at Wolves, but things have turned out pretty well this season for the Brazilian.
The South American joined Wolves in January 2021 to quite a bit of hype.
Jose signed on loan from Real Sociedad to provide cover for the injured Raul Jimenez.
His goalscoring record in Spain was reason to be excited.
But unfortunately, Jose’s stint at Molineux turned out to be very underwhelming.
In the end, he made 18 appearances for Wanderers, and scored just the one goal.
Towards the end he found himself struggling for minutes as Nuno Espirito Santo sought to find other ways of bringing goals to the team.
Wolves had an option to buy Jose, but it was quickly decided that he would head back to Sociedad.
He then joined Real Betis ahead of the 2021/22 season. And it’s been a decent campaign for the 30-year-old so far.
He’s made 40 appearances for the club across all competitions, and he has chipped in with 10 goals and made five assists.
And last night, Jose actually won the Copa del Rey trophy, with Betis beating Valencia 5-4 on penalties, after the game had finished 1-1.
And Jose was among the takers for Betis, converting emphatically and sending Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way.
It is technically the third time Jose has won the Copa del Rey, having been successful with Real Madrid back in 2014. Sociedad won the 2020 title, but the rescheduled final took place in April 2021 when Jose was on loan at Wolves.
Willian Jose puts Wolves nightmare firmly behind him with Copa del Rey triumph
For one reason or another it didn’t work out for Jose at Wolves.
He did show great link-up play at times. But strikers are judged on goals, especially when you’ve specifically come in to replace a talismanic centre-forward.
It’s a shame he struggled to find the net as the other parts of his game were quite impressive.
Nuno did actually brand Jose ‘very talented’ just a couple of months into his spell. He also hailed his work ethic.
It was what it was, and both Wolves and Jose have now moved on.
It’s good to see him playing a part in Betis winning a trophy they haven’t won since 2005, which was their last title not including the Spanish division two championship.