Daniel Podence spent four years at Wolverhampton Wanderers before leaving them for Al-Shabab in the summer window.
Gary O’Neil left the 28-year-old out of his plans last season. This saw him go out on loan to Olympiacos, where he won the UEFA Conference League.
The Portugal international has now told A Bola that his success in Europe last season was one of the reasons he left Wolves.
He joined the Premier League side from Olympiacos side in 2020. The forward played 108 matches for Wolves, scoring 16 goals and registering nine assists in the process.
Podence has followed his compatriot and former Wolves teammate, Rúben Neves, to the Middle East. The 27-year-old midfielder joined Al-Hilal in June 2023.
A Bola uses Neves’ decision to leave Europe for Saudi Arabia as an example to ask why players in their late 20s are moving to Saudi Arabia. When responding to that, he stated the project at Wolves as another reason that convinced him to leave Molineux.
“I think that out of all the options I had and because of what I did last year, winning a European competition was something that I was unintentionally looking for,” he said.
“And once I’d achieved it, I felt there wasn’t much left to do in Europe, as I’d already been in the Premier League for a while and had already experienced a lot.
“Coming to Saudi Arabia at this time, with the growth that is taking place, I felt it was a very good step for my career.”
“I had Wolverhampton, but I felt it wasn’t a project that suited me at the moment. This was a very important step. I like challenges, I felt this was a very big challenge for me and I had to accept it.”
Wolves are yet to register their first league win of this season. They have collected one point from five Premier League matches.
