While the Old Gold were aware of the combative talent that was acquired in Joao Gomes back in January 2023, it was unknown just how influential the 23-year-old would become so soon.  Moving to the Premier League with 117 senior appearances for Flamengo under his belt, the 2001-born star impressed during his first season at Wolves, playing under Julen Lopetegui.  This term, Molineux has seen what the midfielder can offer at his very best, with O’Neil’s style of play suiting the strengths of the Brazilian perfectly. Encouraging attacking play in his set-up, the manager has seen Gomes’ game elevate in progressive areas, with him averaging 3.62 progressive passes per 90 this term compared to his 2.62 per 90 in 2022/23, via FBref.  As well as his progressive eye for detail, the former Flamengo ace has tidied up his game overall in the engine room, bolstering his pass completion rate from 77.6% per 90 last year to 81.6% under O’Neil.  The role of Gomes in O’Neil’s squad has seen him come to light in not just the Premier League, but on the world stage too. Having just secured his first call-up to the Brazilian national team, the 23-year-old is on the path to seeing his career ignite, with his dominance shown in one new statistic. As relayed by WhoScored, Gomes is one of the best players in Europe when it comes to tackling, ranking in the top five for the 83 tackles he’s made this season out of Europe’s top five leagues.  Once hailed as “fearless” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the stature of Gomes’ influence at Wolves has been key to the Old Gold’s progression this term. With interest said to be swarming the young midfielder, O’Neil will certainly hope that he can keep hold of his prized asset, with there still being plenty of room for the manager to improve the 23-year-old’s game even more.

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