Edwards relishing Gomes reunion after busy deadline day for Wolves

Rob Edwards is relishing the prospect of working with Angel Gomes again, with the midfielder set to make his Wolves debut against Chelsea on Saturday.

Despite Wolves being virtually assured of relegation, propping up the Premier League table with a mere eight points on the board, they completed a loan swoop for Gomes on Monday.

The former Manchester United academy graduate, who was an impressive performer in four games for England last season, had fallen down the pecking order at Marseille.

He will stay with Wolves for the rest of the season, with an option to make that deal permanent at the end of 2025-26. Adam Armstrong also arrived on deadline day from Southampton, as fellow striker Jorgen Strand Larsen left for Crystal Palace.

Edwards, who coached Gomes during his time with the England youth teams, told the club's website: "I was lucky enough to work with him at the FA and we got on really, really well. 

"He was a really good player and was obviously part of Steve Cooper's World Cup-winning group with the under-17s.

"He gives us real quality in that midfield area and versatility because he can play as a deeper midfield player, he can go up and down, or he can be a creative one. 

"He has lots of good qualities and a lot of people would have seen that when he was playing for England.

"It's a real opportunity for him now, it gives him a platform in the Premier League to show everybody what he's about, and to help us."

Chelsea are looking to get back to winning ways after seeing their EFL Cup run halted by Arsenal, losing 1-0 in Tuesday's second leg to clinch a 4-2 aggregate defeat.

Liam Rosenior's team were widely criticised for their tentative approach at the Emirates, though last week's comeback win over West Ham means they have registered three straight victories in the Premier League since their change of head coach.

"We're not happy with the result," midfielder Andrey Santos said afterwards. "We came here to reach the final, so we're disappointed.

"It's frustrating because we didn't create as much as we hoped, but we have to move forward and keep going because we have a big game on Saturday, Wolves away. So it is hard, but we have to respond."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Wolves – Mateus Mane

Gomes has competition in midfield, though. Since making his first Premier League start on December 27, against Liverpool, Mane has been a bright spark for Wolves.

In that time, he ranks first among his Wolves team-mates for shots (20), shots on target (nine) and expected assists (0.94 xA) in the Premier League, while he has played the most minutes of any outfield player in that time (626).

Chelsea – Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro has scored five goals in his last eight Premier League appearances for Chelsea, including a goal in all three under Rosenior so far. 

He is the first player to score in a Chelsea boss' first three games in charge, while the only player in Premier League history to score in a manager's first four overall games in the competition was Matt Le Tissier under Alan Ball, in January and February 1994.