Wolves need a few more like Gomes. This has been a difficult season for a club that have not finished in the bottom six since returning to the Premier League in 2018 but now find themselves in the relegation zone and in a battle to maintain top-flight status.
They bear the hallmarks of a crisis club, changing their captain this season as well as their manager. Vitor Pereira’s appointment brought a bounce but Wolves have since lost four in a row. Now, there is speculation surrounding their star player Matheus Cunha.
Amid such uncertainty, Gomes is a breath of fresh air. His coach calls him a fighter, staff talk of his smile and teammates welcome the energy and enthusiasm he brings into the building. He is a player still at the start of his journey in the game and eager to impress.
Supporters have not had much to cheer but they have responded to the obvious appetite of this hardworking youngster. Gomes ranks among the top dozen Premier League players in terms of the percentage of time on the pitch making high-speed runs.
“I did not know about that,” Gomes tells Sky Sports. But you sense it is not too much of a shock to him. His first Premier League goal came from chasing a lost cause away to Leicester in December, bundling the ball in to help Wolves to a rare 3-0 victory.
“It wasn’t even the best goal, but that shows who I am. I never gave up on the ball. I think it shows who I am. I work a lot, I try a lot, I never give up. I think it was not a beautiful goal, but a good goal for me. It showed that I will never give up on the ball.”
Gomes was signed for £12.7m in the summer and was one of the standout performers in pre-season, starting the opening game against Arsenal. But he then found himself out of Gary O’Neil’s line-up until returning for the 4-1 win at Fulham in late November.
It has been more promising for him of late. New coach Vitor Pereira brought him back in for his first game in charge, that victory over Leicester, and he has since added another goal in the FA Cup win at Bristol City. The hope is that his enthusiasm can be infectious.
Speaking to Gomes, he does not have the air of a man beaten down by a challenging campaign. “It is a dream to be here and I am very happy. My English is better now and the club has many Portuguese and Brazilians so it has been easier for me to adapt.”
He had never even visited England before signing for Wolves. “The weather is different from Portugal, but I like it.” This was his first Christmas away from home but his family came over and his girlfriend is a constant presence at his matches – home and away.
“She loves to support me. Always in Braga, she supported me like this, every game. Last year, on loan at Estoril, she went to every game. Even in Portugal, where we have some games on the islands. Every game she tries to be there to support and I love it.
“It is an amazing atmosphere for every game. It is always great here. In Portugal, we miss that. Here, it is amazing every game. We go to Newcastle and it is far but it is the same with a lot of the fans. I think that helps English football to be what it is.”
Although Gomes had never been to England before, he knew all about Wolves. “When I was 15 or 16, I watched almost every Wolves game.” He appears genuinely gutted as he recalls how he only just missed out on crossing paths with Joao Moutinho at Braga.
Gomes made his debut for them under Carlos Carvalhal at the age of 17 – he pulls up his shirt to reveal the tattoo on his arm marking the date in October 2020. “It had always been my dream to play for Braga. I achieved it too young!” Bigger goals now lie ahead.
He is open about the fact that while he started in wins over Porto and Benfica, playing both games of Braga’s Europa League quarter-final against Rangers as a teenager, this season has been a step up. He admits that his first game at Arsenal was an eye-opener.
“It was a tough game because I ran a lot to try to close down the left foot of Bukayo Saka but it was very difficult. The atmosphere was amazing. We lost but it was a day I will remember forever. When you play in the Premier League, it is different.
“It is so quick. Always attacking and defending. Always very, very fast. But I love that type of game and that is why I love the Premier League. It is amazing. There were big games in Portugal too but Portuguese football is different. The intensity is different.”
And that three-month gap between Premier League starts after his taster? “I think that time was good for me to adapt to English football. Even the training is different, more intense, more aggressive. In those three months, I had time to adapt and learn.”
He looks ready now. Gomes names Cristiano Ronaldo as his inspiration. “The same as all Portuguese kids.” Pedro Neto, meanwhile, is the template for Braga’s academy graduates. But Gomes is a different kind of player, a wing-back as much as a winger.
“I think that position is good for my characteristics. I can run, I can shoot, I can cross, I can make goals, assist and I help to defend. I think it is a very good position for me. Whether it is on the left or the right, I like both. And I like to attack and to defend.”
Gomes ranks highly for blocking crosses. He wants to do that dirty work and agrees with his manager’s description of him as a fighter. “Like Vitor says, I describe myself like that too. A fighter, always running, helping the team.” And the respect for Pereira is mutual.
“He is different. He is more passionate, more aggressive. He has different ideas. I think, for our team, the ideas from Vitor were very good for us. When he arrived, we played better, I think, with more quality. I think the team enjoys the game more.”
Gomes continues: “I do not know how much I can say, but things have changed a little bit now. That is normal when a new coach comes in and I think the team has received the changes well. Things are getting better. I believe in the quality of the team.”
Wolves need to show it now, starting at home to Aston Villa on Saturday. “It is a tough position but I am confident that we are going to stay in the Premier League because we have a very good team, a very good coach and we are going to improve, for sure.”
That part remains to be seen. But Gomes’ own improvement seems like a safer bet. He talks of his targets being scoring more goals, providing more assists. “To work hard, to improve myself and to play all the games here and help Wolves to win games.”
His is the attitude that Wolves will need between now and May. “I feel better, I feel more confident, I feel more adapted to England in these six months,” he explains. “And I am 100 per cent sure that six months from now I will be better than I am now.”
Watch Wolves vs Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Premier League this Saturday from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm