Wolves summer signing Rodrigo Gomes has opened up about why he chose to join Gary O’Neil’s project over Atletico Madrid.
Wolves are currently participating in hot-weather training in Marbella as part of Gary O’Neil’s pre-season plans for his squad.
The manager will have the chance to assess his new arrivals ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with three new faces to integrate into the squad from the transfer market.
One of the players is Rodrigo Gomes, who signed for Wolves from Braga last month despite receiving interest from Atletico Madrid.
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Rodrigo Gomes explains exactly why he chose to sign for Wolves instead of Atletico Madrid
Speaking to Express and Star in an interview whilst at Wolves’ training camp in Marbella, Gomes opened up about his start to life at the club.
One of the questions that journalist Liam Keen asked the 21-year-old was why he chose to sign for the Premier League side amid Atletico’s interest.
Gomes made no mistake in providing an in-depth answer as to how he came to his decision earlier in the summer.
“Madrid wanted me but I always preferred Wolves, there was interest from other clubs but I was never close to signing for anyone, just for Wolves.
“It’s the best league in the world and Wolves have a good history with Portuguese players.”
Wolves fans will love Gomes’ answer as he made it clear that signing for the club was his only intention.
The former Braga starlet went on to explain the importance of Wolves’ Portuguese influence over the years.
“I followed Wolves because of these Portuguese players and I really liked the club after watching a lot of the games in the Premier League. They wanted me and it was a perfect combination.
“Almost every player (in Portugal) watches Wolves because of the Portuguese players.
“Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Pedro Neto, Jose Sa, Rui Patricio as well, there are so many Portuguese players from our national team, top players.
“It’s normal for our young players to watch the games.”
Wolves will hope that Gomes can follow in the footsteps of Portuguese players before him
Over the years, Wolves have seen their fair share of talent from Portugal, with some having more of an impact than others.
The likes of those listed by Gomes will be the profile that the 21-year-old desires to replicate, with O’Neil being the perfect coach to offer the winger a place to blossom.
- READ MORE: Liam Keen shares ‘interesting’ thing Rodrigo Gomes was doing in Wolves’ first pre-season session
The early signs suggest that Wolves have acquired an extremely exciting young talent from Portugal in Gomes, who has impressed during pre-season training.
It will be fascinating to see how the youngster fits into O’Neil’s squad next term, with Wolves fans eagerly awaiting the chance to see the former Estoril sensation in action at Molineux.