Fer Lopez Exclusive Interview: The new Wolves artist is ready to make his mark after his arrival as Celta Vigo | Football news

The Lopez iron eyes widen in the mention of the possible beginnings of the Wolves against Manchester City, live Sky Sports SATURDAY. “Especially at home, in front of the fans,” he smiles.

An opening match of the season against the Pep Guardiola team could easily feel intimidating for a young player in the Premier League. But Lopez shows no nerves in an interview room on the Wolves training ground, shaking up the answers in English, already comfortable in its environment.

“It’s very exciting,” he adds. “City is one of the best world teams, with one of the best managers in the world of Guardiola. My main goal is to try to do the best I can to help the team win.”

The striker arrived in Wolves with only seven senior departures behind him. His breakthrough at the Celta Vigo childhood club arrived late due to a growth thrust. But two of these departures left at Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid last season. He also appeared against Barcelona. “I appreciate big games more,” he said.

Obviously, there is no shortage of self -confidence. Above all, it also has a lot of capacity. Vitor Pereira has already seen enough to say that Lopez could play for “one of the best clubs in England”. The Wolves boss has manifested itself by a “left foot which can give us the magic we need”.

All this helps to explain why wolves were ready to pay 19.5 million pounds sterling to take it to Molinine. It was a key for Lopez to leave Celta, but the staff was impressed by the speed of his integration.

“It is a big change, obviously, moving here alone in another country, a different culture, but so far, all the staff and the teammates have treated me very well,” he said. “I feel at home here now. It’s been a month that I have not joined but I feel very good.”

This helps that he arrived with an earlier experience from England. 14 years old, Lopez spent three months on a school exchange in Suffolk, during which he trained at Norwich’s Academy and with the non-bacton United ’89 side, where he is known for players twice his age with his ridiculous skills.

“I was very little, but it helped me understand the culture and especially the weather, because it is different from Spain,” explains Lopez, smiling again. “But it was a great experience for me. It was the first time that I lived outside Spain. It made me more mature and helped me be the person I am today.”

He did not hesitate to grasp the chance to come back. “I think it was an opportunity to play in the Premier League in a club like Wolves, which is similar to Celta in terms of family club. There is a lot of passion for fans, I think it’s quite similar. In addition, the gaffer has a lot of self -confidence, so these are the main things.”

Pereira and its staff used the pre-season to put Lopez physically, but the emphasis was also placed on tactical teaching. Fortunately, the role on the right no 10 for which he will participate in the Wolves 3-4-2-1 training is no different from that he played in Celta.

“What he tells me to do is receive in these pockets,” says Lopez about Pereira. “Then, once I receive the ball, try to be as vertical as possible, finding the final pass and the last blow.

“We played a 3-4-3 at Celta and we play a similar system here,” he adds. “I started right, but I derived more central. I would not consider myself a right winger, a more attacker midfielder.

“So, I think these are similar positions in a very similar system. The system I prefer is a 4-3-3, like the midfielder on the right, so I also have an winger and an attacker in front of me. But with the wings, it’s quite similar, so I’m very satisfied with my role here.”

Lopez was considered an heir to the legend of the Iago Aspas club in Celta. The former Liverpool player even acted as his mentor. “I tried to learn from him since I was little,” said Lopez. “He showed me a lot, a lot of positioning, what to do when the game is difficult, things you need to know from the inside.”

There is also an element of succession on his arrival at Wolves, since it comes after the departure of Matheus Cunha in Manchester United. Lopez plays on the opposite side, but he is one of the players now responsible for invigorating their attack in his absence.

“I think Cunha is a better player,” he said. “Everyone saw him last season. But I don’t think I came here to replace anyone. First, we are different players. We play in different positions. I like to play more where Pablo Sarabia played last year.”

A different position, then. A different level of experience too. But there are similarities between Cunha and Lopez in terms of competence and flair. Lopez, like Cunha, has a penchant for the spectacular. He luges the mention of his reputation as a Muscade specialist.

“I think football is entertainment,” he said. “I like to see it like that. I like the players who removed me from my headquarters and I try to do that to the fans.

“Obviously, the main thing is to score goals and win matches, but I like to be this type of player. I think I learned that by playing futsal when I was little, maybe also playing in the park with my friends. In Spain, there are many. It was important in my development.”

The Wolves now hope that Lopez will adapt so quickly on the field as they have made it. Its 6 -foot 2 -inch frame should help. “Obviously, the Premier League is much more physical than Laliga,” he said. “I think these are two different styles of play. Laliga is quieter, controlled with the ball, more tactical. Here, it’s much more” voom-dom “all the time.

“I will have to adapt but I will work as hard as possible to reduce the time it takes to me.”

The presence of Jorgen Strand Larsen, his friend and former teammate of Celta, with whom he did his vacation in Greece during the summer, adds another layer of familiarity at Wolves.

“It was obviously a more knowing that I was not going to be 100% alone because I knew him,” explains Lopez. “He was not the main factor in my decision, but it’s a nice touch to be here with him.”

Strand Larsen helps Lopez to settle in the club. So, the striker, scorer of 14 goals in the Premier League in his first last season, asking him to return the same in assists?

“Always, always,” laughs Lopez. “In training, always.

“But I try to find him a lot. When I face the balloon forward, the first thing I try to do is find a pass for him. Obviously, if there is another big open guy, I will pass him. But yes, I try to connect you a lot, with a-two, with balls in the spaces.

“Over the games and that we play more together, I think chemistry will start to flourish more with all my teammates, but especially with him because I know him more.”

He starts in Molinine on Saturday. Lopez ran to the stadium for the first time during the friendly defeat of last weekend against his former Celta club. “Top, above,” he said about the experience. “It was a shame that we couldn’t win,” he adds. “But important things start now.”

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