João Virginha has officially joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on a three-year contract.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have officially announced the signing of João Virginha, the 26-year-old Portuguese goalkeeper, who will join the Stadio Molineux from Sporting CP. He has signed a three-year contract. Notably, he is Wolves' second goalkeeper signing this week, following the return of John Rudy.  

João Virginia is no stranger to English football. In his youth, he joined Arsenal's youth academy, where he spent three years developing his skills, an experience that qualified him for the English professional league's regulations regarding homegrown players. After leaving the Gunners, he joined Everton, thus beginning his professional football career.  

In September 2020, João Virginia reached a pivotal moment in his career, making his first-team debut in the League Cup against Everton. Later that season, the Portuguese goalkeeper also made his Premier League and FA Cup debuts, appearing against Burnley and Manchester City respectively, gradually accumulating experience in top-flight leagues and cup competitions.  

Throughout his career, João Virginia gained experience in various leagues through numerous loan spells. During his time at Reading, he made his Championship debut and featured in the League Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He subsequently enjoyed loan spells at Sporting CP and Eredivisie side Cambuur, further expanding his overseas experience. During his time at Sporting CP, he helped the team win the Portuguese League Cup.  

After returning to Lisbon last season, João Virginha rejoined Sporting CP and made seven appearances in all competitions, including one Champions League match. Now, after a season with Sporting CP, the Portuguese goalkeeper has returned to England, officially joining Wolverhampton Wanderers under the management of Cesar Pesciotto.  

Wolves manager Cesar Peschoto said of João Virginha: “We have great confidence in João Virginha’s abilities. He has excellent individual skills and the potential to continue improving. He is a very goal-oriented player who is willing to work hard to achieve his goals. More importantly, he is no stranger to the Championship and English football. This experience will help him integrate into the team more quickly and provide us with valuable experience.”  

"When we bring in players, our first consideration is whether they can truly improve the team's strength and competitiveness, and they must also have the character that fits the team's requirements. We value not only a player's performance on the field, but also their attitude and qualities off the field, which will affect the entire team."  

“João Virginia’s previous clubs also had a strong need to win, and he is used to that kind of pressure, so he should be able to integrate into the team relatively smoothly. In addition, he has lived and played in England for ten years and is very familiar with the environment and football culture here, which will help him get into form faster and contribute to the team.”  

“João Virginia has a very strong desire to improve, and I hope that every player in the team can maintain that attitude. Competition in training can drive everyone to continuously improve, and when players compete healthily for positions, the level of the entire team will also improve. When it comes to the official matches on the weekend, we will be able to face our opponents with greater competitiveness. Therefore, I think healthy internal competition is very important for the development of the team.”  

Wolves technical director Matt Jackson believes João Virginia's previous experience in England will be a significant advantage for him upon joining the team. He said, "João Virginia has lived and played in England before, so I believe he will adapt to the new environment quickly. At the same time, he possesses excellent individual ability and good professionalism, which means he can quickly integrate into the goalkeeping team and compete for a position within the team."  

“We hope that the goalkeepers can motivate each other and continuously improve the quality of training through competition, so that every day’s training can maintain the highest standard. João Virginia is a very intelligent player, and he also has excellent professional qualities. He is calm, focused, and possesses all the qualities that an excellent goalkeeper should have. Moreover, he has always been able to keep a low profile and not cause any off-field interference to the team, which is especially important for a goalkeeper.”

“We are currently in good form in both competitions, so we don’t want to bring in a player who would need a long time to adapt to the Championship environment. João Virginhag would not have much of an adaptation problem. He is very intelligent, has excellent communication skills, and speaks fluent English. He is a perfect fit for our needs, both in terms of his individual ability and his ability to integrate into the team.”  

Image source: Internet/Wolves official website