CHIQUINHO DECIDES ON HIS WOLVES FUTURE

I was delighted to hear the news this week that Chiquinho has pledged his future to Wolves- especially when at one point a move to Sporting Lisbon seemed far the more likely outcome.

First and foremost, we should not downplay the man-management skills of Gary O’Neil here. Chiquinho is a young player who hasn’t had the easiest of journeys since moving to England, and Sporting would represent not only a return to his home country but also to his boyhood club. Chiquinho hails from Cascais in Lisbon and came through the world-renowned Sporting CP academy, as did João Moutinho and Daniel Podence.

While Chiquinho’s comments this week do not necessarily guarantee he will not be sold this summer; for O’Neil to get him on board and eager to be a part of what he’s building at Wolves is a testament to the care and attention he puts into his relationships with each and every member of the squad. After all, there is no guarantee that Chiquinho will be a regular starter. Clearly, O’Neil is building a real team, which is an alluring prospect for any player.

Reflecting on Chiquinho’s time at Wolves so far, I was surprised to see him loaned out to Stoke last summer. I thought he was much too good for the Championship at the time and expected him to dominate.

So imagine my surprise when his loan move to Stoke was terminated before the transfer window had even closed! It was an incredibly unusual turn of events that clearly indicated something was amiss.

The exact circumstances remain unclear, but the narrative at the time was that Chiquinho was to be sent back to Wolves because the club was unhappy that he wasn’t getting guaranteed game time. In the last week of his time at Stoke, Chiquinho had not been included in either of the last two match-day squads, which wasn’t a great situation for him, Wolves, or Stoke.

A player of his quality simply doesn’t drop out of a Championship matchday squad for footballing reasons alone. As time passed, the situation became a little clearer. According to Liam Keen, speaking on his podcast:

“The long and short of it, really, is he didn’t see eye to eye with Alex Neil at Stoke. I might be being slightly harsh on Alex Neil because I’ve never had any experiences with him—I’m purely going off perception here. But he feels like he’s probably not the easiest guy to work for, particularly if you’re a young foreign player who’s maybe not used to his style. But I can’t use that as an excuse for Chiquinho. If you’re not doing what you’re told or asked to do or you’re not putting in 100%, it’s quite poor for a young lad. Something I didn’t really expect from him either, because all the indications I’ve had from him… he wouldn’t have done that. I think there probably is fault on both sides. He didn’t see eye to eye with Neil. Wolves wanted to find a solution to it quickly.”

As his time at Stoke drew to a close, Chiquinho posted a rather cryptic message on social media, which read:

“Look at me. What about me would make you think that I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion I have of myself. You didn’t make me, so you can’t break me. You didn’t build me.”

This perhaps indicates just how toxic things had become in a relatively short amount of time at Stoke. In retrospect, the fact that Wolves were so willing to make the unusual move of cancelling a loan is quite revealing. They wanted him out of that club and into an environment where he could flourish. The quick action taken by the club and their facilitation of a better move with minimal fuss shows that he always had the backing of the Wolves faithful.

Wolves arranged a move to Famalicão fairly quickly, and he went on to have a solid season in the Portuguese top flight, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists in 27 appearances.

Returning to the situation at Stoke, without knowing the full story, I feared things were going off the rails for a player who, prior to injury, looked like someone who could offer us something slightly different.

I see Chiquinho as an out-and-out winger, which is somewhat of a dying art in the modern game and something we arguably lack. Pedro Neto, Hwang, and Sarabia are all more inclined to cut inside. In contrast, Chiquinho is best playing on his stronger right side and is eager to go on the outside of his full-back and whip in a fierce cross, which, along with his pace and directness, is one of his strongest attributes.

One game that stood out and really showcased his talent, as well as what he adds to our side, was his performance away at Chelsea at the end of the 2021/22 season. At 2-0 down, we looked dead and buried, but Chiquinho came on and honestly changed the game.

First, his direct running drew in two Chelsea defenders, creating the space for Trincão to curl an absolute pearler into the top corner. Then, he whipped in a sublime first-time cross for Conor Coady to head in right at the death.

He really does have a wicked cross on him. 

I vividly remember being more excited about him than anyone else in that team that night.

However, injury struck that summer—the dreaded ACL injury—ruling him out for the entirety of the 2022/23 season. 

Last season, had he not been out on loan, he would surely have featured heavily when Wolves were down to the bare bones in attacking areas in the latter stages of last season.

Wolves had no option to recall him from Famalicão despite injury troubles, as no player is permitted to play for three clubs in a single season.

All in all, it is amazing to think that Chiquinho is now entering his fourth season at the club, having signed from Estoril in January 2022. He is a player who has always promised so much but has had to weather some huge ups and downs. If anyone can settle things down for him and get him playing his best football in a Wolves shirt, it must be Gary O’Neil.