Wolves have strengthened their goalkeeper department with the signing of Joao Virginia from Sporting CP.
The 26-year-old, who has agreed a three-year deal, becomes the second new stopper to arrive at Molineux this week, following John Ruddy’s return, and brings ten years of experience in the English game with him.
The Portuguese joined Arsenal as a teenager and spent three years within their academy, qualifying him for the EFL homegrown rule, before he moved to Everton to turn professional.
Virginia’s senior debut for the Toffees arrived in September 2020 in the Carabao Cup, and both his Premier League and FA Cup bows followed later that season against Burnley and Manchester City respectively.
While on loan at Reading, Virginia experienced the Championship for the first time and played at Molineux in a Carabao Cup tie, while he also spent time on loan at Sporting, where he won the Taca de Liga, and Cambuur in the Eredivisie.
Last season his return to Lisbon spelled the end of his time in the UK and he played seven times, once in the Champions League, but after 12 months has joined Cesar Peixoto’s group.
Executive chairman Nathan Shi said: “Cesar rightly insisted this window that we must be patient and only sign players who improve our squad and are committed to the club, and Joao fits that description.
“He is a homegrown player and knows English football well, so he should be a good fit for the squad and the club and will be well received by staff and his teammates. We’re delighted to have him here.”
Welcome to the pack, Joao Virginia 🧤✍️ pic.twitter.com/5ePE3YShLK
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 27, 2026
Head coach Cesar Peixoto said: “Joao has a lot of quality and potential to grow. He is hungry to be successful, to work hard and to bring experience because he knows the Championship and English football. We only sign players to improve the team and the level, and the right characters, not only the pitch, but outside the pitch, it’s very, very important for group.
“He knows the expectation and pressure of playing to win game after game at his last club, and because of that it’s easier to adapt to our club, to adapt to English football because he’s played here for 10 years is. It’s going to be easier to be ready to help the team.
“He has a hunger to improve, and I want this kind of mentality in each position, to compete with each other in the week, so at the weekend they’re more competitive against the opening teams. This kind of competition inside the team is very, very important.”
Technical director Matt Jackson said: “We’re talking about someone who can come and settle straight away with the previous experiences he's had in England and the type of man that he is, and quality-wise, he can come in and be really competitive in that group, which is exactly what we want. We want them all to drive each other to the highest standards possible.
“He’s very intelligent and a great professional, a level-headed player, and everything that you’d want really – no headlines whatsoever, which is always a good thing for a goalkeeper.
“The last thing we need with the club starting well and going well across two competitions is someone who’s coming in to transition to what is a very difficult league to understand, and it’s going to be an absolute natural transition because he’s very intelligent, articulate, a fluent English-speaking player, and is a perfect fit for us.”
