Wolverhampton Wanderers Reshapes Goalkeeping Department with Ruddy and Virginia
Wolverhampton Wanderers have turned to an old ally and a returning prospect to reshape their goalkeeping department before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
John Ruddy is back at Molineux on a one-year deal, while Joao Virginia arrives from Sporting Lisbon on a three-year contract, as Wolves move quickly after allowing Daniel Bentley to join Premier League side Coventry City.
Ruddy returns to where he made his name
Ruddy, now 39, knows this club and this division as well as anyone. He was the bedrock of Wolves’ promotion campaign in 2017-18, racking up 24 clean sheets as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side stormed to the Championship title.
After five seasons at Molineux, Ruddy moved on to Birmingham City and then Newcastle United, but the pull of Wolves has brought him back at a key moment in the club’s rebuild.
Manager Cesar Peixoto made it clear why the veteran fits the plan.
"It's important having a lot of experience in the team, and John knows the club very well, he's home at the club, so will be an important guy on the pitch, but also in the dressing room," Peixoto said.
"He is a player who played a lot of games, who got to the Premier League with Wolves and who has a lot of knowledge of the Championship and English football.
"It's important to bring new faces, new personalities, but it's also important to build a strong group, a strong spirit, and I think he can add this quality. We want to bring these characteristics to the club."
With Jose Sa and Sam Johnstone still on the books following relegation from the Premier League last season, Wolves suddenly have a crowded but seasoned goalkeeping unit. Competition for the No 1 shirt will be fierce; stability is the aim.
Virginia’s second shot at England
If Ruddy brings memory and muscle, Virginia brings upside.
The 26-year-old Portuguese keeper joins from Sporting Lisbon on a three-year deal, returning to a country he knows well after spells in the academies of Arsenal and Everton. He made eight senior appearances for Everton before being released last year and heading back to Portugal to join the then champions.
At Sporting, Virginia featured seven times for the first team last season, including one outing in the Champions League, but has now been allowed to seek regular football back in England.
Peixoto sees a goalkeeper ready to grow.
"Joao has a lot of quality and potential to grow," he said. "He is hungry to be successful, to work hard and to bring experience because he knows the Championship and English football.
"He knows the expectation and pressure of playing to win game after game at his last club, and because of that it's easier to adapt to our club, to adapt to English football because he's played here for 10 years. It's going to be easier to be ready to help the team."
Two new contracts, one familiar face, one unfinished story. With the Championship grind looming, Wolves have stacked the most scrutinised position on the pitch. Now comes the real question: who will own the gloves when the season hits its stride?
