Daniel Podence completed his transfer from Olympiacos to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday, signing a four-and-a-half year deal for a fee of approximately €22m.
The 24-year-old former Sporting midfielder becomes the latest Portuguese to join Nuno Espírito Santo’s contingent at Molineux, after around 18 months spent in Greece. Upon his unveiling, Podence admitted that joining the vast array of countrymen was a factor in his decision to make the switch.
“That was one of reasons I chose Wolverhampton,” he said. “Of course, I spoke with Rui [Patrício], but I also know Rúben [Neves], [Diogo] Jota and [João] Moutinho very well.
“I think that’s going to be a big help for me to adapt to English football, which is challenging and it’s really good to have well known faces around.
“It’s my first experience with this manager, but obviously, being Portuguese, with him knowing me and me knowing his work, that obviously weighed in me making this decision.”
Pedro gets Podence straight on the court!
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 30, 2020
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Podence arrives at the club with Nuno’s side again impressing in the Premier League, during their second season since returning to the top flight. Wolves finished 7th last term and are in the same position at present, with just a six-point gap to the top four Champions League places.
“I’m very excited. It was always a childhood dream of mine to play in the Premier League and I look at this achievement as a dream come true,” Podence revealed.
“Visible growth” at Wolves
“Wolves are a team with a big project, with ambitious goals to look forward to, where I’ll get to meet former teammates with whom I had the pleasure to play with in the past and I hope to be very successful here.
“The club’s evolution over the last years has been evident to people all over the world, and Wolves has been experiencing a visible growth.
“The first few times I heard about Wolverhampton was from the time Silas was playing here, around the 2000’s I think, but now there’s not even a comparison to be made, it’s a much bigger club with very big aspirations.”
Podence could be in line to make his debut on Saturday against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are also in the process of recruiting a Portuguese midfielder, with Bruno Fernandes joining United from Sporting.
By Sean Gillen
