Midlands rivals Wolves and Aston Villa brought in two quality wingers on loan this summer – Jota from Atletico Madrid and Snodgrass from West Ham United.
If there was an award for Championship’s Signing of the Season, Diogo Jota should dust of his tuxedo and prepare a speech. The Wolves winger has been nigh-on unstoppable since moving to Molineux on loan from Atletico Madrid.
And it’s a sign of the times at Wolves that, thanks to the club’s connections with Jota’s agent Jorge Mendes, the Championship side can attract a player of this talent and potential.
The 20-year-old, who cost Atletico £6 million (The Mail) and played in the Champions League on loan at Porto last season, has scored seven goals in 15 games and has arguably been the stand-out player in England’s second tier so far in 2017/18.
It’s fair to say Jota has outshone the marquee signing made by Wolves’ Midlands rivals, Aston Villa. Though Robert Snodgrass had endured probably the most miserable period of his career after that ill-fated move to West Ham United in January, there is no doubting the Scot’s quality.
Signing of the Season?
Villa landing Snodgrass on loan looked to have given their hopes of returning to the Premier League an almighty boost. After all, Snodgrass knows the second tier having starred for Leeds United – and he’s showed at Hull and Norwich that he is without doubt a Premier League quality performer.
The 30-year-old had been a little inconsistent in his first few weeks at Villa Park, however. But a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s hugely impressive 2-0 win away at Preston North End provided a timely reminder that Snodgrass is good enough to change any game on his own at this level.
On this form, Snodgrass can challenge Jota in the Signing of the Season stakes. And, who knows, his Championship experience may just see him pull clear in the next few months.
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