Portugal international Joao Moutinho arrived at Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer after winning Ligue 1 with Monaco and the Primeira Liga with Porto.
Joao Moutinho has 113 caps for Portugal and has won league titles with Porto and Monaco, not to mention the 2016 European Championships. He also cost Wolverhampton Wanderers just £5 million (BBC).
And though the Premier League season is just four games old, you’d be hard pressed to find a better pound-for-pound signing anywhere in England’s top flight than the diminutive 31-year-old midfielder.
Ageing and far from the most powerful or athletic of players, it was far from certain that Moutinho would adapt to the hustle and bustle of English football despite his impressive CV. But, in his first month as a Wolves player, the midfielder’s class has shone through in every performance.
He was outstanding in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City and, in truth, would not have looked out of place at the base of Pep Guardiola’s midfield. It was his set piece that led to Willy Boly scoring Wolves’ goal, albeit with his arm.
Moutinho’s best performance so far, however, came at the London Stadium on Saturday. Adama Traore’s last gasp winner and Rui Patricio’s heroics were key to Wolves’ first Premier League win since 2012 but, alongside compatriot Ruben Neves, Moutinho dominated the game from the centre of the park.
Much has been made of Wolves’ spending power during the reign of Chinese billionaires Fosun International. But even the most ardent members of the anti-Mendes brigade have to admit that signing Moutinho for £5 million was a stroke of genius.
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