Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is being linked with Barcelona and Premier League giants Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham after a great season. The Portugal international is fundamental to the team and coach Bruno Lage is hoping he can stay with the club. Neves is playing his fifth season for Wolves and already has 179 appearances for the team.
Wolves Coach Bruno Lage Insists Ruben Neves Is Worth £100 Million
Ruben Neves Worth £100 Million
In a recent interview, when asked about Ruben Neves, Bruno Lage responded that he hopes the club could keep him. Despite that, the manager realizes that Wolves must be prepared for his possible departure. Still, he insisted that a player with such abilities must be worth around £100 million.
Bruno Lage underlined the importance of Ruben Neves to his team due to his ability to defend and attack, mixed with great professionalism. That is why he is hoping that the club would offer a new contract to the player. Neves’ current deal expires in 2024 and it seems like this summer could be crucial for his future.
Why Is Ruben Neves So Important for Wolves and So Desired by the World’s Best Clubs?
Ruben Neves has played 179 games with Wolves after coming from Porto in 2017. In his first season, he helped the club secure promotion to the Premier League with 42 appearances and six goals in the Championship. Since then he is crucial to Wolves’ consistency and stability in the Premier League.
The Portugal international mostly plays as a defensive midfielder. In modern football where attacks are being built with much more passes from the back, such a player has a significant value to every team. The days when the last midfielder was used only to stop the opposition’s attacks are long gone. So let’s look at what Ruben Neves is bringing to Wolves.
Playmaking and Attacking Potential
Ruben Neves is averaging 57 passes per game this season with an incredible 85% success rate. Considering that Wolves have an average possession of 50% during their games, these statistics are quite impressive. His ability to provide the ball in a dangerous area is another reason he is so important to his team. The midfielder is providing 11 passes per 90 minutes in the opponents’ final third with 75% of them being accurate.
Despite playing in a more deep position he also managed to score six times and provide three assists in all competitions this season. There aren’t a lot of midfielders with such statistics even in the best clubs in the world.
Defensive Contribution
Bruno Lage is certainly not wrong for underlining Neves’ defensive contribution. Only three teams have conceded fewer goals than Wolves this season – only 29 in 33 league games. Ruben Neves is often the last man the opposition has to face before the backline of the team and he is doing a very solid job helping his teammates. If we take look at his stats we find the 7.33 recoveries and 7.51 defensive duels per game. This, combined with his 4.22 interceptions per 90 minutes (118 for the season) is also showing how valuable he is to his team’s defensive line.
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