Wolves are thriving under the guidance of Gary O’Neil, with the manager bringing the best out of his squad following his arrival in August 2023 and one star is doing what very few in Europe are.
Wolves have spent the week showering some of their individuals with star treatment following the emphatic 4-2 victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
Matheus Cunha stole the headlines with his hat-trick to dictate the direction of the three points, although the striker wasn’t the only Brazilian to star in West London.
Winning a total of seven duels and providing an assist was Joao Gomes, who has become an integral member of Gary O’Neil’s squad playing alongside his engine room counterpart, Mario Lemina.
Putting his brilliance on Sunday aside, the 22-year-old has been a driving force for the Old Gold this term, highlighted by him being part of an executive group based on one statistic.
What Joao Gomes is doing that makes him one of the best in Europe
Lauded as being part of the “incredible” pivot in midfield by the manager, Gomes is thriving far outside the comforts of Molineux, as he sits near the top of the charts in Europe for his rate of tackles per 90.
As cited by FBref, the combative £30k-a-week midfielder ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for his monstrous average of 3.92 tackles per 90 over the past 365 days.
The Brazilian is not only flying into tackles to limit threat in the midfield but is also winning them, with his average of 2.15 tackles won per 90 also placing high in the ranks in Europe within the top 3%.
Signed in January 2023 from Flamengo for a mere fee of £15m, not many could have anticipated just how prominent Gomes’ presence in the middle of the park would become.
One person who was well aware of the 2001-born gem’s stature as a holding player was talent scout Jacek Kulig, who dubbed the Wolves hero as a “warrior” back in 2021 as a 20-year-old at Flamengo.
The anxiety of losing both Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves was a tough pill to swallow for those at Molineux, particularly due to the quality of football the Portuguese pivot had allowed everyone to become accustomed to over the years.
Gomes and Lemina have made the transition easier to process than anticipated, with the 22-year-old posing as one of the best tacklers not only in the Premier League but in Europe too.