Wolves’ 2024 summer signing Rodrigo Gomes has reflected on his first season at Molineux.
There are few players more loved in the Wolves squad than Gomes, whose talent on the pitch and temperament off it are admirable.
The 21-year-old had an encouraging debut campaign, but many will hope to see Gomes explode into form over the 2025/26 calendar.
There are already signs to suggest that the Portugal U21 international has the potential to do so, with his patience and desire to achieve in Old Gold noticeable in every appearance he makes.
Rodrigo Gomes reflects on adapting to the Premier League
The versatile wide player has only just started his holidays after appearing at the U21 European Championships for Portugal.
Gomes earned high praise from his international manager, Rui Jorge, who was wowed by the Wolves ace’s clinical streak at the Euros, where he scored twice in four games.
Some downtime is long overdue for the youngster, who has had an incredibly demanding year, something he reflected on when speaking to Wolves’ official website.
Gomes arrived from SC Braga in June 2024, seeing the 21-year-old spend the whole of pre-season with Gary O’Neil’s squad, where he impressed quite significantly, but the player noted that his pre-season form ultimately meant very little.
“I was thinking I was ready, but the Premier League was different than the pre-season,” Gomes explained.
“I knew it would be, but the Premier League was very intense, very physical, very fast, and although the pre-season was like that too, it was not as much as the Premier League was.”
The dynamic wing-back scored three goals in four pre-season clashes during the summer of 2024, but admitted that he ‘was not that ready’ for the step up to the Premier League.
“It was different, it was tough, it was more difficult, and in the first games, I was not that ready. But I think it’s normal when you come to the Premier League, especially as a young player, and you are not a regular in the first games.
“You need time to settle and you need time to know how to play in the team. I’ve said many times before, the Premier League is the best league in the world and it’s the most difficult league in the world to play in, so I think now I’m better, but I still need to improve more and more.”
Gomes impressed enough that O’Neil started his summer signing on the opening match of the season away to Arsenal, but after his Premier League debut, the former manager only handed his signing two further league starts.
New signings must take note of Gomes
Such was expected to a degree, as there was a lot of work for the 21-year-old to do after making the move from Portugal’s top-flight to the Premier League.
Gomes acknowledges this, and now, his words could be used as a source of inspiration for those expected to arrive at Molineux this summer.
Vitor Pereira wants to bolster his squad with new signings, who will, hopefully, get pre-season to impress the manager.
That being said, by Gomes’ own admission, pre-season preparation should be taken with a pinch of salt, as clearly, nothing can prepare a player for the jump to the Premier League.
Pre-season is a fascinating time for squads, with a lot of emphasis on Wolves’ plans as Pereira gets the chance to properly assess his players for the first time since arriving mid-season.