Dave Edwards: Joao Moutinho will go down as a Wolves great

As good as Ruben Neves has been in recent years, I think Joao Moutinho is the best player I’ve seen play for Wolves in my lifetime. What a fantastic footballer – he oozes quality and class.

All Wolves fans will admit how lucky we are to have had him for this period of time, and see him for some good years of his life.

They’ll send him on to his next venture with all the luck in the world for what he’s done for this football club and how he’s progressed it.

Also for the effect he’s had on other players. He’s had an influence on Ruben Neves’s career and he’s developed by having Joao Moutinho alongside him.

What a servant to Wolves and what a player. I’ve been lucky enough to meet him on a few occasions and what a real down to earth, humble bloke, who genuinely thinks the world of his time at Wolves. He absolutely loves the fans.

Thank you Joao Moutinho for giving Wolves the seasons you have.

We don’t know the reasons behind him not getting to say a proper goodbye, but it does leave a bit of a mark on those last few weeks.

More than anything, the fans wanted to see him at Molineux to say thank you to him, but it didn’t quite happen, which is a disappointment.

It wasn’t unexpected to see Diego Costa leave too, and he served his purpose this season.

It took him a while to get going but he was committed to the club, worked so hard and his performances really helped the club at the back end of the season.

It was great to have a character like that in the dressing room. He handled himself so well and he was a good fit at the right time.

But moving forward, where Wolves want to get to, they have to bring in a top quality striker and I expected to see Costa go.

However, he deserves our thanks for everything he did.

Wolves are still in talks with Adama Traore over a new deal, and he’s a player I love to watch play.

He’s an enigma at times and can be frustrating, but he does things on a football pitch that no-one else in the world can do.

He’s exciting and value for money for fans. If he puts in the kind of unplayable performances we know he can, he’s an asset for the football club.

Before Julen Lopetegui came in I’d have said Adama’s time at the club was definitely done, but I see how Lopetegui has worked with Adama and he may have a chance of staying.

If contract talks are ongoing, you can see what the manager thinks of him. With Adama not dismissing those talks either, there might be some Wolves life left in Adama.

Fingers crossed it happens, because he offers so much value to the team. He can be the difference between winning and losing a game, he has that ability.

Meanwhile, it was a strange one from Everton, especially with other clubs interested in Conor Coady and such a small option fee, not to sign him permanently.

I really believe he’s one of the most important people to pull on a Wolves shirt since Steve Bull.

He’s a huge part of the team and does so much in the community. I’m not just saying this because he’s a friend of mine and I think highly of him, but I’d love to see him back.

He’s probably in a different stage of his career now, compared to when he left with his England and World Cup ambitions, and I imagine his head space is different now.

I imagine he’ll be more willing to come back to Wolves and fight for his shirt. From a Wolves point of view, when Coady, Romain Saiss and John Ruddy left – some real leaders – Wolves struggled.

In particular, there needs to be more of a British influence in that dressing room. They have some of that, but Coady is experienced and he’ll help drive the standards in the dressing room.

It would be a no-brainer to bring him back in, for me.