Conor Coady has credited the arrivals of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota for Wolves’ recent change in fortunes in an interview with Graham Hunter.
The Midlands club have certainly seen a meteoric rise in recent years, going from Championship strugglers to European contenders, and the club’s captain believes that there was a culture change at Molineux when Neves and Jota arrived.
“You (had) seen these players coming in and I think that was the biggest thing. The culture change, that the players who came into this football club wanted to change the directon of this football club,” Coady told Hunter.
“They wanted to come to Wolves in the Championship at the time, and the respect I have for them for doing that is incredible.
“Ruben Neves was the youngest ever player in the Champions League, or the youngest captain, whatever it was.
“Then all of a sudden I’m playing with him, and the amount of respect I’ve got for him and his family and Jota when he came over, I know now he’s at Liverpool. Incredible.”
It is not new information to anyone that Neves and Jota were too good for the Championship when they arrived at Wolves, but the fact that they single-handedly changed the culture of the club is incredible.
Bear in mind that these two are both a lot younger than Coady. But their ability to lead by example seems to have pushed everyone at the club to be that much better.
Coady is the perfect example of this. His personal journey has been nothing short of exceptional, going from Championship defender to fully-fledged England international, and that may never have happened if Neves and Jota had not arrived.
Wolves again look like being European contenders this season, sitting third in the league after seven games and, while Jota may not be there anymore, his legacy is ever-present as Nuno’s team continue their rise.
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