Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Toti Gomes is thankful for the “confidence” the club has placed in him following the news of his extended contract at Molineux.
Toti, 23, spent 18 months on loan at Swiss club Grasshoppers following his transfer to Wolves from his native Portugal, before returning in January 2022 to fill in for Romain Saiss, who briefly departed to feature at the African Cup of Nations for Morocco.
Toti has played three times for the Wolves senior team since returning from Grasshoppers, with his performances encouraging Bruno Lage and the hierarchy at the club to offer him an extended deal until 2027.
The Portuguese defender put pen to paper on a new contract in March 2022, and has revealed to Park Life Sport how easy the decision was. “I didn’t think too much [about it]” he began. “There was already talk with me about the contract and it was just a case of adjusting things.
“I’m really happy with the confidence the club has in me by extending my deal for two more years and I’m really grateful for that. From now on I need to keep working hard and repay the confidence they’ve shown in me.”
Congratulations on your new deal, @TotiGomes23!
— Wolves (@Wolves) March 21, 2022
✍️ #Toti2027 pic.twitter.com/Hp01zkbjl7
Toti has also praised the impact Lage has had in the short time they’ve worked together at the Midlands club. With the pair both able to communicate in their native tongue, Toti has enjoyed working under the former Benfica head coach. “I have noticed some big differences since I arrived back,” Toti revealed. “He’s a coach who likes to play out from the back, his personality and the way he works with the players makes a difference and he has helped me a lot. I always try to learn when he talks so I can do it when it’s my turn to play.”
With a stable backline in the Wolves squad, Toti hasn’t featured in the first-team since the FA Cup defeat to Norwich in early February, but he’s set on rectifying this in training by keeping a keen eye on his peers. “I think I’m learning and improving every day with the ball,” he admitted. “I have already been working well defensively, but with the ball I’m trying to learn more with the guys that play like [Romain] Saiss and [Willy] Boly to see what they do on the pitch.”
Toti’s desire to improve is also seen by his wish to make Portugal’s World Cup squad later this calendar year. Although he acknowledges it may be a long shot, he admitted that: “All players want to one day represent their national team. I have already represented Portugal for the U20s, but never for the first-team. Of course I will keep working hard, and if the opportunity comes I will be very happy.”
Toti’s Wolves face Aston Villa at Molineux at 15:00 on Saturday 2nd April.
