Wolves complete impressive swoop of Portuguese prodigy Francisco Trincão

Wolverhampton Wanderers have completed the stunning signing of Barcelona winger Francisco Trincão on an initial season-long loan, and have the option to make his stay at the club permanent for a fee in the region of £25million.

The move came as something of a surprise, with Wolves concluding the transfer business of one of their main summer targets in an impressively private manner, with little suggestion that the signing of the young Portuguese international star was imminent.

Both Benfica and Sporting were interested in bringing in Trincão on a loan deal this summer, with both enquiring about his availability for the upcoming season, particularly after it became clear that Barcelona would be signing Dutch winger Memphis Depay, but it is Wolves that have captured Trincão’s signature.

The 21-year old is one of the most promising players to have emerged from Portugal in recent years, bursting onto the scene with Braga, where his explosive dribbling and adventurous style of play led to Barcelona triggering his release clause, bringing in 31 million euros for SC Braga in the process - making him the biggest sale in Braga’s history.

Portuguese legend Paulo Futre said last year: “For me, Trincão is already one of the five best left-footed players in the history of Portuguese football” - only Simoes, Chalana, Bernardo Silva and himself can be considered in the same bracket according to the 41-time Portugal international - and he went on to say: “And I have no doubts that Trincão is going to be the best.”

Futre even went further in his praise for Trincão, saying: “If he has no problems with injuries, he’s going to win the Balon d’Or.”

Former Porto and Barcelona idol Deco also commented on Trincão’s ability, telling the official Barcelona channel: “He’s got a lot of qualities and a great future. He has got a great shot when in central positions, is good in one-against-one situations… he is a player that I like a lot. At Barcelona, players that arrive have to have a quick impact, which is not always easy. But, if he gets minutes, I think he is going to succeed.”

His time at Barcelona ultimately proved frustrating though, with game time at the Spanish giants constantly elusive, cameo appearances in the closing stages of matches a regular story for the 4-time Portugal international due to a star-studded lineup of stars ahead of him in the pecking order making it difficult to cement anything close to regular game time.

There were, however, clear bursts of quality while at the Catalan club and a growing feeling that he was to come good at a club that have been desperate for some young quality to help them slowly develop into a side that is capable of beginning the transition into a post-Messi Barcelona. That he is being let go in order to help retain Messi is therefore symbolic of the importance of the Argentine legend to the club - and perhaps an indication of the potentially problematic short-sightedness of Barcelona’s hierarchy, whose sole priority is to keep Messi, even if that is to the detriment of their long-term future. But Barcelona’s loss is most certainly Wolves’ gain.

Trincão, who was a major part of Portugal’s Euro U19 title triumph in 2018 - a tournament in which he finished as top scorer and was a constant threat to oppposition backlines with his direct and skillful style of play - was part of Portugal’s Euro U21 squad this spring, scoring twice in the group stage to help Portugal ease into the quarter-finals - but he was unable to play any of the knockout phase, omitted in the squad after testing positive for Covid-19. Portugal went on to finish runners-up to Germany.

Just 10 months ago, having only just completed the signing of Trincão and before he had even made his debut for the Spanish giants, Barcelona turned down the chance to immediately double their investment on Trincão by rejecting a 60 million euro offer for the youngster from an unnamed Premier League club, citing the Portuguese prodigy as a young player with the potential to do great things with the La Liga outfit, having handed him a 500 million euro release clause. Now, however, Wolves have the option to make his stay at the club permanent for even less than Barcelona paid for him.

What will he offer Wolves?

Trincão has become associated with some stunning dribbling and trickery, incredibly dangerous in one-on-one duals with the opposition full-back and able to both travel down the wing and cut inside, an ability that makes him a constant headache for the defence. Typically utilised on the right wing, it gives him the perfect freedom to cut inside onto his much preferred left foot, where he can whip in crosses from deep, attack through the centre of the field and drive at the centrebacks, or take on a shot - which he has done with great success, scoring some delightful goals from in and around the edge of the box.

With excellent close control and quick feet, he is able to carry the ball with confidence and wriggle out of tight situations, making it difficult to get the ball off him and ensuring he is incredibly comfortable even when being swarmed by players and with his back to goal. Added to his fair share of pace, he can be lethal in counter-attacking moves, able to pick up the ball from deep and charge forwards with purpose, while the impressive speed at which he is able to change direction is another incredibly useful characteristic that makes him difficult to contain.

His decision making is generally also a positive attribute; he does often like to hold onto the ball for a long time, meandering across the field with the ball at his feet, though when he does eventually release it to a teammate, it is frequently in a progressive manner that can help his side get further up the pitch and into a more threatening position. In complete contrast, he can also play quick one-touch passes which can also offer the opportunity to engineer an attacking opportunity.

Ultimately therefore, Trincao is an unpredictable and inventive player due to his footballing brain, intuition and freedom on the football pitch, and should be an entertaining player for Wolves fans to watch week in, week out - particularly with Pedro Neto on the opposite flank.