Wolverhampton Wanderers got off to the perfect start under Vitor Pereira in their quest for Premier League survival as they produced a 3-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday afternoon - and Goncalo Guedes has been placed on a pedestal alongside Matheus Cunha after earning rave reviews for his performance in the east Midlands.
Wolves had been on just nine points under Gary O'Neil, who was sacked last weekend after an extremely disappointing 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town on home soil, leaving Wolves five points adrift of survival in the Premier League and with a real mountain to climb ahead of Christmas. With eight days left to find a replacement, Pereira was sounded out and that gave Wolves the opportunity to land him - resulting in a win against their Premier League rivals and to leave them just two points adrift of safety.
Guedes Could Become Vitor Pereira Undroppable
The Portugese winger had a superb game against Leicester at the weekend
Goncalo Guedes
But instead of usual candidate Cunha taking the headlines despite his goal, it's been Guedes who has been the player on everyone's minds - and he may now be undroppable under Pereira after his dazzling performance at the King Power Stadium.
Guedes came to Wolves for £27.5million, and with a lot of hype. Having burst onto the scene at Benfica as a teenager, he soon found his way to Paris Saint-Germain back in January 2017 - but limited game time there saw him join Valencia.
Goncalo Guedes's Premier League statistics - Wolves squad ranking
Stats
Minutes played
Goals
Key Passes Per Game
Shots Per Game
Dribbles Per Game
Match rating
A number of spirited seasons on the east Spanish coast meant that Wolves brought him, but he spent half of the 2022/23 season and the entirety of last season on loan at Benfica and Villarreal.
A forgotten name in the West Midlands, 28-year-old Guedes has come back into the fold this season, and with his second goal of the campaign, he's began life under Pereira strongly - with special praise from Express and Star writer Liam Keen, who wrote:
"With a goal and an assist, Guedes showed by the new head coach should have faith in him. His numbers this season, when playing, have been impressive. 8/10"
Their huge outlay on the speedy Portuguese winger may be worth it after all this time if he can continue his strong start to new manager life.
And if that's the case, he could find himself alongside Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen as a genuinely undroppable player.
Vitor Pereira watching on from the dugout Related
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Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 23-12-24.