Gary O’Neil has said that new signing Rodrigo Gomes actually reminds him of another current Wolves player.
The club completed a move for the Portuguese winger on Wednesday, after an agreement was reached with Braga last weekend.
Rodrigo has joined for a fee in the region of £12.7 million, and has signed a five-year contract at Molineux. Braga will have a 10% sell-on clause.
There is excitement about this signing, because Rodrigo was one of the best players in the Portuguese top-flight last season, scoring nine goals and making eight assists playing mostly as a right wing-back on loan from Estoril.
Rodrigo has followed the same path Pedro Neto took five years ago, and the hope is that Wolves have landed someone who can be just as exciting as him.
On Wednesday, Wolves released some media bits about Rodrigo to help fans get to know their latest addition.
Gary O’Neil also made some comments, admitting the winger is a bit like another Wolves player personality-wise.
Gary O’Neil says Rodrigo Gomes is like Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes
Wolves fans are pleased to see some early business, as it is not really the norm at Molineux.
It is a big summer coming up for the club, and it is a very positive start with the signing of the promising and versatile Rodrigo.
O’Neil is really delighted to have landed the 20-year-old, who apparently also had some interest from Atletico Madrid.
He has said that he has already seen a lot of Rodrigo, and has been struck by his ‘enthusiasm and endeavour’.
O’Neil also believes that Wolves’ latest recruit is somewhat similar to Joao Gomes. He is quoted by the club’s official website as saying: “It’s a different part of the pitch and different type of player, but personality wise he reminds me of Joao Gomes, with his hunger and desire, how humble he is.
“They’re very similar and we saw how successful Joao was last season, in his first full season in the Premier League. There’s a lot of work needed with Rodrigo to get him up to speed and you don’t want to put too much pressure on a player of that age coming into the toughest league in the world.”
Rodrigo could be a top signing by Wolves
Rodrigo feels like a really good signing already by Wolves.
The player comes across really well in his first interview and assures fans that he is a hardworking player and is really excited to get started.
If he is anything like Joao Gomes, as O’Neil suggests, the Wolves are surely onto a winner.
Joao Gomes has endeared himself to the Wolves faithful very quickly because of his attitude and humility. He came over from Flamengo in January 2023 and has kept his head down and worked his socks off.
He is now probably one of the most popular Wolves players in the squad with the fans. Hopefully, Rodrigo can follow suit.