Wolves fans are very optimistic about the three new players who have signed this summer – and Gary O’Neil has now given one guarantee regarding the trio.
Wanderers were quick off the mark this summer, bringing in three new players by the start of July.
They were Rodrigo Gomes, the exciting young winger from Braga who excelled last season on loan at SC Braga.
Then, Pedro Lima completed a move from Sport Recife, with Wolves pipping Chelsea to the starlet.
And Jorgen Strand Larsen joined on loan from Celta Vigo. That move will become permanent if he makes a certain number of appearances.
In pre-season, all three players have looked lively, with Rodrigo perhaps the standout with his three goals.
Some new quotes from O’Neil have been published this morning, and the manager has offered one assurance about the three newbies.
Gary O’Neil says Wolves’ three new signings will be ‘desperate’ to don the shirt every game
In recent times at Wolves, there has been a big emphasis on signing not only top players, or players with the potential to be top, but good characters as well.
In order for a football club to be successful, it is vital to get things right off the pitch as well as on it.
The squad dynamics have to be right, and everyone signed needs to contribute to the right culture.
Some top personalities have come into the football club in the last couple of years or so, such as Mario Lemina, Matheus Cunha and Craig Dawson.
Not only are these individuals great players, but they all improve the dressing room and you can clearly see they take immense pride in wearing the Wolves shirt.
And O’Neil feels that Rodrigo, Lima and Strand Larsen will all have this kind of mentality. He told The Athletic: “When I arrived, you could see some of the players that had been signed over certain times were not desperate to play for Wolves.
“Whether they were (desperate) at the start and weren’t by the time I got there, that can happen. But the first thing you need to know is: what are they like as a person? What are they going to be like when we really need them?
“We want strong characters who are desperate to put the shirt on at the weekend. In Rodrigo, Jorgen and Pedro (Lima), I guarantee you they will do that for the whole time they are here.
“They’ve made a big impact already. Pedro has just turned 18; he may take a while, or maybe he’s one of these super kids that hits the ground running in the Premier League. None of them have played 150 Premier League games and are people you can definitely hang your hat on that they’re going to be ready. But they’ve all got the ability. They’ve got the right attitude.”
Wolves’ new trio set to shine
O’Neil’s comments will go down well with the Wolves fans, who long to see players who are going to give everything for the badge.
There have been plenty of these kinds of players down the years. The likes of Ruben Neves, Conor Coady, Romain Saiss and Pedro Neto were all massively popular at Molineux due to how they conducted themselves – and that wasn’t just because they were good players.
It sounds very much as though Rodrigo, Lima and Strand Larsen are going to be passionate about playing for Wolves and give their all every game.
Should this be the case then they will be strongly supported.
And if they feel the love from the crowd then they are bound to excel. Surely, they are all going to have good chances of thriving at Wolves.