Joao Gomes has been speaking about Gary O’Neil in the new documentary Wolves have put out – and one comment he made about his manager is very telling.
Wolves released ‘Joao Gomes: The Pitbull’ on their social media channels on Monday night, giving fans a chance to get to know the midfielder better and to learn about his journey.
Gomes joined Wolves in January 2023 from Flamengo.
He has turned out to be a terrific signing, impressing supporters with his impressive energetic and remarkable ball-winning ability in the engine room.
Having been eased in shortly after joining, Gomes is now a first-choice midfielder at Molineux, and has struck up a fine partnership with Mario Lemina.
Wolves could not really have hoped for his development to have gone much better, and part of the reason he’s turned out so well is because of the relationship the player has had with Gary O’Neil.
Joao Gomes says Wolves boss Gary O’Neil actually worries about him more than people in his own family
In the documentary, Gomes talks about the influence Matheus Cunha has had on him since he’s been at the club.
The Brazilian arrived in the same window as him, and Gomes says that his time at Wolves simply would not have been the same without his fellow Brazilian.
But it isn’t just Cunha who has helped Gomes become the player he is today at Wolves.
Gary O’Neil has taken Gomes’ game to a new level, after bringing him into the team as a regular following the departure of Ruben Neves, and the manager has a really close bond with the 23-year-old.
And Gomes made a heartwarming claim that O’Neil actually worries about him more than some people in his own family.
He said: “Gary has always been very understanding. Because he knows I left Brazil to come here and it’s a different country, a different culture, another way of playing.
“He gave me a lot of confidence and he made me see that I can be a key player, not just someone people will forget about in two years’ time, but rather someone who can be remembered forever.
“Let me tell you, he is the kind of guy who does everything for us, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help him. He worries a lot more about me than people from my own family, you know? The bond I have with him is great.”
This says it all about O’Neil
It is absolutely crystal clear from this documentary that Gomes adores O’Neil for what he has done for him.
Coming to the Premier League from Brazil cannot be easy, and Gomes also has to contend with having a stammer which will no doubt bring about challenges not experienced by many other people.
It sounds like the pair have a very good bond, and that O’Neil has helped to make Gomes’ transition and adaptation at the club really smooth.
And Wolves are benefitting massively as a result, with Gomes on his way to becoming one of the top midfielders in the Premier League.
You need only look at how many reports there have been this summer about interest in Gomes from top clubs, and that is a testament to the brilliant work O’Neil has done with him.