Wolverhampton Wanderers have completed the signing of Fluminense midfielder Andre for a reported £21.8m.
Despite three new additions being finalised by July 2, Wolves would go until deadline day before bringing in a fourth fresh face in goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
In the background, though, the West Midlands outfit were working hard on what has ultimately proven to be their major acquisition of the summer transfer window.
Andre has previously been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and, most notably, Fulham without a deal getting over the line.
However, Wolves have been able to successfully negotiate a fee with Fluminense, who are overseeing their club-record outgoing.
© Imago
A long-time coming
Although Wolves have not been linked with Andre in the long term, sporting director Matt Hobbs has revealed that discussions initially took place as far back as January 2023.
That was when Joao Gomes - who has the same representatives as Andre - made his own move to the West Midlands, and Hobbs has used that piece of business as a reason why Wolves fans should give the 23-year-old time to settle.
Speaking to the club's official website, Hobbs said: "It feels like a long time in the making. He's got the same agent as Joao Gomes and is a player we talked about when we did Joao.
"We hadn't been in a financial position in other windows to do it, when we were interested. It's one that I thought we were going to miss out on, so I'm unbelievably excited to have him come and join us.
"He works hard, wins his tackles and picks up second balls. He's physically good and we think he'll thrive in the Premier League, similar to how Joao has. Our midfield now feels like a real strength of ours.
"I want the fans to be excited about it, but remember when Joao came across, he had six months to sit under Mario (Lemina) and Ruben (Neves) and get used to the country and the Premier League with minutes off the bench. We've got to give players the time to settle."
A new Brazilian in town 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/EKwrRmIn6C
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 30, 2024
What are Wolves getting in Andre?
The numbers read that Andre has made 197 appearances for Fluminense in all competitions and has earned five caps for Brazil.
When delving deeper, however, Andre is a Copa Libertadores winner and has made the aforementioned appearances for his country since June 2023.
Andre is a defensive-minded, tough-tackling midfielder who Wolves hope will take them to the next level alongside countryman Gomes in the engine room.
There are now four Brazilian representatives in the Wolves squad, the other two being Pedro Lima and Matheus Cunha, with another five Portuguese players also among Gary O'Neil's senior group.
Darren Plant
