Wolves: £27.5m flop was compared to Jota after signing, now he’s exiled
One of countless in the Portuguese talent stream through Wolverhampton, this player’s ultimately found his career waters muddied while returning home.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed signing nearly a whole Portuguese diaspora of players in the last several years.
From 2016, 19 Portuguese players have played for the Old Gold. This penchant for Portugal is widely linked to super agent Jorge Mendes.
Within that group, since Wolves went from the Championship to the Premier League – quality has varied. There’s been the highs of Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves, but there’s also been the lows of Bruno Jordão or João Teixeira.
Unfortunately for this article’s focus, this Portuguese winger finds himself edging toward the latter camp.
When did Gonçalo Guedes join Wolves?
Gonçalo Guedes caught Wolves’ attention as an electric winger in La Liga with Valencia, working back his reputation after struggling for games at PSG.
With an already developing Portuguese core, Guedes would hopefully fit in. He’d fit in even more, if he could transfer his glimpses of sheer quality (like below) to the Premier League level for Bruno Lage’s side.
After 146 La Liga games in a four-year stint at the Mestalla, Guedes scored 28 goals and in a somewhat satisfying fashion got 28 assists. What ultimately twisted Lage’s arm was a stellar final season on Spain’s east coast. Guedes starred in Los Ches’ 2021/22 term that saw them finish ninth, scored 11 of his 28 total goals, and got six of his 28 assists in 36 games.
Wolves signed Guedes – another client of agent Mendes – for an agreed £27.5m in August 2022. A lot was anticipated for the bright spark, who already had a reputable international career charting seven goals in 32 games since making his debut in 2015 when he broke through with Benfica at 18-years-old.
He was the first 18-year-old to make his international debut by the way, since one Cristiano Ronaldo. Unfortunately, that’s where the CR7 comparison would stop – as Guedes’ Premier League form was far from Ronnie’s.
What went wrong for Guedes at Wolves?
Fundamentally, Guedes couldn’t adapt to the Premier League. Form was hard to come by on his arrival as he only got 17 Premier League appearances under his belt, reaping just the solitary goal against Brighton on the 5th of November 2022.
While his start to life in England was tough, it was made worse by the fact that Wolves had other players who were more than capable of competing in that position. While Guedes stalled, Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Jonny, and Adama Traore could all be deployed on the left wing.
Furthermore, another aspect that weighed the fleet-footed player down – was a comparison to Diogo Jota, a player who helped the Old Gold achieve promotion.
That comparison was noted by Portuguese football expert, Alex Gonçalves, who was speaking to Russell Youll of the Shropshire Star
He said: “Comparison questions are always tricky but in the Premier League, maybe someone Wolves fans know very well, Diogo Jota, is a good player to look at. Both have something of that explosive nature and tenacity, as well as a clear dribbling prowess and ability to manoeuvre with close control in tight spaces, added to their direct approach and determination.
“He’s also got decent end product, both in terms of goals and assists, and Jota has shown similar for Liverpool.”
Of course, admittedly Guedes was nowhere near the level of Jota’s 44 goals in 131 all competitions. However, he still has a lot of his career to look ahead to at 26. A return to Benfica this season on loan, where it all started may rejuvenate his career – yet as this deal has the potential to go permanent, a potential Premier League career looks unlikely.
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