Wolves swoon over Munetsi

ZIMBABWE midfielder Marshall Munetsi appears to have charmed his way into the hearts of the Wolverhampton Wanderers family, with club coach Vitor Pereira saying the Warriors star and two other new signings were the missing pieces in his team.

The other two players are defenders Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Agbadou.

The trio completed the team’s January transfer window business and Pereira believes they will have an immediate impact on the club.

The Portuguese head coach remained tight-lipped on whether or not Munetsi and Djiga will make their debuts in today’s FA Cup clash against Blackburn Rovers. Agbadou, an early signing, has already played some games.

Commenting on Munetsi’s arrival, the Wolves coach said: “Physically, he’s a very strong player.

“He is a player who goes box-to-box, strong in the duels, strong in the air, with a good quality of pass and he runs a lot.”

Munetsi came in as a deadline day transfer last week, ending an almost six-year romance with French Ligue 1 outfit Reims.

The 28-year-old joined Reims back in 2019 during which he made 148 appearances and scored 21 goals. He joined former Reims teammate Agbadou at Wolves.

It is this familiarity that Pereira is hoping will help Munetsi adapt to his new home faster and possibly in time for either today’s FA Cup match against Blackburn or possibly next Sunday’s away trip to Anfield for a date against Liverpool.

“They are very good friends and he’s a player that can bring us the physicality that we need, the solutions that we need in the middle,” he said in reference to Munetsi and Agbadou.

“Because of the experience that we had before when we had Andre out one game, we had problems, and then we had Joao out for another game.

“Bellegarde did very well, and he was — for me — in this position a very good surprise, but I think now the squad is more balanced.”

On his part, Munetsi appears excited about his new adventure.

Speaking on the team’s official podcast “Wolves Express”, he appeared rather gleeful about joining Wolves.

“I’m very delighted, it’s a dream come true for me,” said Munetsi.

“I have always wanted to be part of something big and being a part of Wolves is something that is big for me and big for my family.

“It’s a team that I have also been watching from afar and, you know, the Premier League is the best place to be. I am also very delighted to be joining the (Wolves) family and join the team.”

For Munetsi, joining Wolves presents a new challenge and he spoke about how leaving Reims was no easy decision.

“The first time I got to Reims, I never thought that I would stay for this long, but I really enjoyed my time here,” he said. “Now, it was probably the best time to leave because I have gained so much experience.

“Being in the French league is very tough, probably not as tough as the premier league, but I think it’s also quite competitive. Those games will come in handy at Wolves.”

Munetsi did not foresee his Wolves’ move and subsequent adjustment period as a major issue. This was largely due to the presence of Agbadou and another Zimbabwean international, Tawanda Chirewa.

“Tawanda (Chirewa) messaged me as soon as he saw the news, and he was so excited that now he is going to have his big brother there with him,” said Munetsi

“So, it was a very good thing and Agbadou did the same. When he came here (Reims), I was the first to welcome him and now it is his turn to welcome me.”

He went on to shower Agbadou with praises.

“I think you have seen what he provides for the team, the impact that he has, the energy and physique; these are all things one needs when playing for top teams,” he said.

“Besides that, he is also a very good friend of mine and it has been like for the past three years or so.”

Sadly, Chirewa was loaned out to English Football League One outfit Huddersfield just as Munetsi was arriving. — Wolves.co.uk/Zimpapers Sports Hub