Who is Gomes?
- Published
Wolves look set to be dipping into the Portuguese transfer market once again after agreeing a 15m euro (£12.7m) deal for Braga youngster Rodrigo Gomes.
The West Midlands club have been fighting hard to secure the signature of the 20-year-old midfielder, who also reportedly had strong interest from La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
It is understandable why Wolves are so keen to secure the services of the Portugal under-21 international. A versatile winger, he can play on both the right and left-hand sides, offering assistance in defence and attack.
Gomes came through the ranks at Braga and has made 51 first team appearances for the club. However, it was during his loan spell with fellow Primeira Liga side Estoril last season that he caught the eye.
He made 36 appearances across all competitions, scoring nine goals and contributing eight assists.
That meant a goal contribution every 173 minutes, not too far behind Wolves' star Portugal international midfielder Pedro Neto, who managed one every 124 minutes.
Gomes was nearly matching Neto for key passes per game in their domestic leagues, 1.2 compared to 1.7, while he created as many big chances over the season with seven.
Despite these impressive figures, there is still room for improvement from the pacy youngster.
His successful pass percentage stood at 75%, while he only managed 0.9 successful dribbles and made 0.3 crosses per game.
Sharing a dressing room with the likes of Neto will be invaluable and, given his age, he has plenty of time to learn. If he continues on the same trajectory, Wolves may have unearthed another Portuguese gem.