“My wife is here and can confirm” – Wolves ace insists to Portuguese media how great things are

Let’s be honest, it could have all gone wrong. Very wrong indeed.

Nuno Espirito Santo coupled with Jorge Mendes could have proven to be a disaster for Wolves, and perhaps the odds even leaned more in that favour. Signing players via Getsifute, and often in complicated deals which were managed by Mendes, Wolves could now be adrift in the second half of the table and feeling rather foolish.

Similar happened when Valencia took on the Portuguese pair, and the Spanish club have taken some time to get over it, with their bank balance remaining wobbly.

But what didn’t work on the Spanish coast has certainly worked in the West Midlands, and Wolves are flying high at the top of the Championship.

A part of the success has been Roderick Miranda, who arrived on a permanent deal from Rio Ave in the summer window.

The central defender has been speaking to A Bola about his Wolves life, and sounds very happy indeed. Asked what he does during international breaks, Miranda explained: “We came to Portugal and we are going to enjoy family outings and eat some things that we miss and that we cannot find easily in Wolverhampton. And it’s the first time we returned home, in the earlier stops we chose to explore England and Wales.”

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A Bola wanted to know how Miranda is adapting: “It’s been very good at all levels. Sportingly, we are first, to fight for our goals, always with a great atmosphere in the stadium, the fans are spectacular. On a personal level, I adapted very well and it helped to have the family. The town is quiet and people try to help players in everything, so it has been a good experience. Santiago (the couple’s young son) was the one who adapted most quickly, as he doesn’t feel any difference.”

Then, when asked about the Championship as a league, Miranda was noticeably eager to make sure everyone in Portugal knows it’s a big deal: “All the excitement that exists around the game is spectacular. My wife is here and can confirm: the stadium is almost always full, we have between 25 and 30 thousand spectators. In Portugal, this only happens in the big three and when they are doing well.

“Another thing that surprised me was the quality of the league. We have great players and proof of this is that Ruben Neves has been called for the national team.

“The Championship is labeled a second league, but if we make a comparison with most of the Portuguese teams, I am sure we would come out well. We recently played Manchester City, first in the Premier League, and almost had a little fun. In Portugal, when a team of the second league will play with the first, they leave with the bag full, as they say.”

Roderick Miranda, like his transfer colleagues, is loving life this season at Wolves.