Conor Coady loves playing alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Rui Patricio in the Premier League – and you can see why.
Rui Patricio is one of the best goalkeepers in world football. At least, that is the view of his Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady, in quotes reported by the club’s official website.
Given that the Liverpool-born centre-back has spent the last 18 months protecting Patricio’s goal, he is well placed to judge the quality of a man who joined Wolves in the summer of 2018 from Sporting Lisbon.
An experienced shot-stopper arrived at Molineux on the back of some superb displays at the Russia World Cup and he has been worth every penny of the £16 million the Black Country giants paid for his signature (BBC).
Patricio is a natural-born leader and a proven winner, while his highlight reel since joining Wolves almost has to be seen to be believed.
“He’s a great keeper, he’s one of the best in the world for me, in terms of what he’s done for Portugal, what he’s doing in the Premier League now, he’s been brilliant,” Coady said after the 31-year-old kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw at Manchester United.
“The clean sheet is something we’ve been wanting for a while, but we’ve got full trust in the keepers at this club. They’re brilliant goalkeepers, and you see the way Rui is performing for us at the moment, he’s been brilliant.”
It speaks volumes about Patricio’s enduring quality that John Ruddy, a proven Premier League goalkeeper and a former England international, has barely had a look in over the last year-and-a-half.
But with Ruddy’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, Wolves are expected to be in the market for a new shot-stopper in the summer. It will be interesting to see whether Patricio can step up again to bat away competition from a younger model.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
