There are not many January signings who go on to have as big of an impact on their team’s standing in the Premier League than what Emmanuel Agbadou brought to Molineux last season.
The Ivorian defender had an incredible influence on Wolves’ performances on the pitch, as well as the team spirit behind the scenes at Compton Park, following his arrival into the club at the start of 2025.
Coming into a struggling Wolves side for his first taste of English football just six months ago from Ligue 1 outfit Reims, you’d be forgiven for expecting the 28-year-old to take time to adapt to his new surroundings.
But instead, he put his marker down immediately to become a beacon of positivity, professionalism and passion inside Vitor Pereira’s squad and helped give the whole club a boost which he hopes the side can carry into the 2025/26 campaign, as he has big ambitions for the Old Gold this term.
On his first six months in England
“It was a good six months of my career, the best moments of my career, because I play in the best league in the world. Starting like this in this league is amazing, I’m proud of myself, and I want you to enjoy it and to continue like this.
“It was difficult at the start because it was a bad time for the team and I didn’t see too many people smiling. Everyone was concentrating and focusing on that, so in my beginning here, they didn’t have time to enjoy and be relaxed. It was a little bit of a stressful time.
“But my friends and family support me a lot. It was not easy to come here to England and I wouldn’t have made these performances if I didn’t have them to support me, so I will enjoy spending time with them, holidaying with them, and sharing my personality victories with them.”
On the impact he’s had on and off the pitch
“I don’t like to speak about what me and Marshall [Munetsi] did, as we are nothing. To me, it’s just the job of God and if I have done something for the team, then I appreciate that. I’m a player like every player in this league, and I don’t think that I have something different. If you told me that you thought I helped, then that’s good.
“But I should always do my part because for me, it was a dream [to join Wolves] and when you live your dream, you need to enjoy it. I can only talk for myself, but you don’t have too much time for fun.
“You don’t have time to think about if I didn’t play good or if I played good, you just need to enjoy the moment. You need to enjoy every minute, every second, that you have in this league, so for me, it was easy to understand the situation [he was coming into], because it was a dream for me.”
Another impressive performance on Friday 🇨🇮
— Wolves (@Wolves) May 7, 2025
Throwing it back to some high praise for Emmanuel Agbadou on the Wolves Unpacked podcast 🎧 pic.twitter.com/aJGTihYZsf
On being part of a tight-knit group
“Here I have JJ [Bellegarde], Bouba [Traore], they are all good guys and they helped me a lot. They made it easier for me to adapt as I had these guys here.
“And as a defence, I think we feel the same things. Toti is like a warrior and Doc is an experienced player, an older player, who plays very smart, and then me, I try to be a mix of the two of them. A battler on one side and experience on the other side.
“When you have this feeling between us, it makes everything easier.”
On scoring his first Wolves goal
“I was very happy because I was waiting for this goal. I had some opportunities before, but I didn’t score, and against Crystal Palace I was able to open the game with my first goal and it was a very good moment for me.
“But after, we lost, so I couldn’t appreciate this goal like I wanted to, but I was happy because I never do a season without God, and I’m happy I could score before the end of the season.”
On improving next season
“I’m looking for that. I think it will be good because it will be my first starting season with Wolverhampton, and I just want to continue what I do, to improve a lot, and for everyone on the team to be ready to have a good next season here.
“I’m a guy who always has a dream and always looks far in my life because I think everything’s possible.
“With this quality that we have in our team, we can try to see up the table for next season. It’s not impossible because we proved that we have the quality to achieve that. I think we can do more and more and be better than last season.”
