Joao Gomes has left Wolves - here’s how his Molineux spell unfolded

Joao Gomes’ time at Wolves has come to an end, with the midfielder having joined Aston Villa.

The Brazil international left Wolves’ training camp in Portugal last week to undergo a medical ahead of a £38million move, which was confirmed today.

It brings an end to Gomes’ three-and-a-half-year spell at Molineux, during which he made 116 Premier League appearances and 130 in all competitions.

There were plenty of highs and lows during his time in gold and black. Here, we look back at Gomes’ Wolves career.

Arrival - ‘Free Joao Gomes’

Gomes’ arrival at Wolves was anything but straightforward.

After Wolves agreed a deal with Flamengo, the Brazilian club attempted to back out when French side Lyon submitted a slightly higher offer.

However, after a ‘Free Joao Gomes’ campaign gathered momentum on social media, Flamengo honoured the original agreement and Wolves completed an €18.7million deal in January 2023.

The club even produced stickers and T-shirts bearing the slogan.

Upon joining, Gomes said: “I was torn between Wolverhampton and another offer I had on the table.

“It has always been a dream and a wish come true to play in the Premier League, but the people who have welcomed me here made all the difference.”

Dream debut

Gomes made the perfect start to life at Wolves by scoring the winning goal on his debut.

The midfielder came off the bench to net the decisive goal in a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Southampton in February 2023.

The strike proved even more memorable as Wolves had played the entire second half with 10 men following Mario Lemina’s red card before the break.

FA Cup debut to forget

His FA Cup debut, however, was far less memorable.

Gomes was shown a straight red card after just nine minutes of Wolves’ third-round tie at Brentford in January 2024 for a dangerous challenge on Christian Norgaard.

Wolves still managed to earn a replay after drawing the match.

Just over a month later, Gomes responded in style by scoring his second and third Wolves goals in a superb 2-1 win away at Tottenham.

International debut

Gomes earned his first Brazil call-up while at Wolves in early 2024.

Having never represented his country at youth level, his impressive performances in the Premier League brought him onto the national team’s radar.

The then-23-year-old marked the occasion by making his debut at Wembley, playing the full 90 minutes as Brazil beat England 1-0.

Difficult final season

The 25-year-old featured in all but three of Wolves’ 38 Premier League matches last season as the club’s eight-year stay in the top flight came to an end.

He scored one league goal and registered one assist.

Despite the difficult campaign, Gomes picked up several end-of-season accolades. He won the club’s Players’ Player of the Season award, alongside the Men’s Community Player of the Season award and the club’s PFA Community Champion for his work alongside Wolves Foundation.

Departure

Gomes signed a new five-year contract in April 2025, committing his future to Wolves until 2030.

Following the club’s relegation, however, speculation over his future intensified.

A deal was close with Atletico Madrid. However, the Spanish club pulled out.

Instead, Gomes has completed a £38million switch to Aston Villa.

The Brazilian left Wolves’ training camp in Portugal last week and returned to the UK to undergo a medical before finalising what is comfortably the biggest transfer ever between the two West Midlands rivals.