As Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Gonçalo Guedes is swapping Benfica for Villarreal, there’s big coverage today from the Portuguese and Spanish media on this move.
Starting with the Lisbon press, the word there is that the Eagles did well in cutting his spell short, as he wasn’t getting much playing time recently.
Mais Futebol feature quotes from pundit Diogo Luís, who claims that the deal was ‘good for everyone’ involved, as Guedes can have a fresh start at Villarreal.
It’s agreed that the player could not match the expectations since his arrival at Benfica in January last year, and not even having his spell renewed changed things for him there.
Meanwhile, in Spain, there’s optimism that the Wolves loanee will do well at his new club. At Guedes’ presentation today, manager Marcelino Toral talked about his arrival and the expectations around him, as long as he manages to stay fit. The quotes come from O Jogo.
“He’s a top-level footballer if he doesn’t have any physical problems, and we don’t think he will. He lacks competitive pace, which is logical because he hasn’t played much in recent months, but he’s a player who can play in various positions in attack, on the wings and as a striker more in the centre.
“His versatility and virtues, speed and ability to get off balance can help us a lot. He has the capacity, we have to enhance it, if he doesn’t have a physical problem we will be able to get him back to a high level
Guedes has a contract with Wolves running until 2027. The Molineux side spent €32.6m to sign him from Valencia in the summer of 2022, and now see Transfermarkt valuing him at only €18m.
