Wolves’ Portuguese-Guinean captain Toti Gomes urges positivity after winless start

Wolverhampton Wanderers skipper Toti Gomes has admitted that the club’s start to the Premier League season has fallen well below expectations but insists the squad is determined to respond after the international break.

Gomes, who was born in Guinea-Bissau before moving to Portugal and represents the Portuguese national team, said the three straight defeats and zero points have been “tough” to take but not insurmountable.

Speaking to the club’s official website ahead of the clash with Newcastle United, the 26-year-old centre-back stressed that the closure of the transfer window should now bring stability to the dressing room.

“Of course, we’re not having the beginning to a season that we wanted and that we’ve been training and preparing for in pre-season, so it’s been tough,” he said.

“I’m not going to say it’s easy to start the season with three losses and zero points, but it’s still early and there’s still a lot of time to improve.

“We know that we are capable of being in a much better position than we are right now, and we have the team and the coach, so we can do it.”

Gomes believes the recent pause for international fixtures has given Vítor Pereira’s side a much-needed reset.

“Maybe the international period was something that we needed. We needed a little break, to stop and correct a few things that we were not doing well.

“I think maybe this break’s going to help us, and it’s going to hopefully bring better things, because now the window is closed,” he added.

Despite the early setbacks, the captain is adamant Wolves have enough quality to turn their season around.

“It’s not the end of the world. Things don’t look that beautiful for us, but we cannot think negatively, keep positive and keep working hard … we still have a lot of time to improve, and we’re going to do it. We have the players for that, and we have to keep positive.”