Wolves must regret losing big-money star who’s better than Gomes
The midfield is arguably the most important position on the pitch, warranting the most touches and involvement. Especially in the modern iteration of the game, they are tasked with building up and ball progression, arriving in and around the penalty area to finish chances and defending in transition to protect the defensive line.
Wolves’ midfielders this season have averaged 92.8 touches per 90 between them – Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina – but aren’t quite managing to put their print on the game, making less than two progressive passes per 90 between them, and only 0.33 key passes per 90 between the pair.
Gomes made 38 appearances for Wolves last season, scoring two goals and providing one assist in 2,865 minutes played.
Meanwhile, Lemina made 39 appearances, scoring five times and providing one assist in 3,261 minutes played. Neither are quite as good as Ruben Neves, though, are they?
Ruben Neves’ time at Wolves
Neves was signed for Wolves from FC Porto back in 2017, joining the club for a fee of around £15.8m, a record fee paid by a Championship club at the time.
Only 20-years-old back then, but clearly highly rated by his transfer fee, Nuno Espírito Santo got his man, having previously worked with him in Portugal.
The Portuguese midfielder was described as a “fundamental” player for Wolves by Jacek Kulig, and that is exactly what he proved to be over the years, making 253 appearances in all competitions, scoring 30 goals and providing 13 assists.
His performances for the Old Gold over the years earned him a solidified spot in the Portugal national set-up, making 52 appearances for his country. Neves was sold in 2023 to Al-Hilal for a fee of £47m leaving behind England having been on a “different planet” to some of his peers, according to the Athletic’s Steve Madeley.
How Neves now compares to Lemina & Gomes
The current midfield partnership for Gary O’Neil’s side consists of Gomes and Lemina as a double pivot. Other options in the squad are Tommy Doyle, Boubacar Traore, and new signing, Andre.
Wolves haven’t got off to the best of starts this campaign, losing two of their opening three Premier League games against Arsenal and Chelsea, and drawing their other versus Nottingham Forest, leaving them on just one point after three fixtures.
So, one could argue that they may well lust after Neves. Here’s how he compares to their current options.
As you can see when comparing these three midfielders, Neves is far and away the better passer, completing nearly double the amount of progressive passes, with 6.51 per 90, compared to the 3.44 of Gomes, and 2.30 of Lemina.
