Putting in the hard yards off the pitch during the opening months of Rob Edwards’ Wolves tenure helped set up what was to follow, according to Andre.
A difficult start to the season had seen shoots of positivity following the arrival of the head coach in November, although results took a while before they started to turn.
Seven defeats on the bounce might have seen heads drop and confidence levels plummet within the group as the team struggled at the bottom of the Premier League standings with just two points.
But that was not the case. Although results might not have been what the squad wanted during that time, performances were showing signs of improvements.
Those first few months under Edwards were practically a pre-season for the head coach, as he got to grips with the squad ahead of the January transfer window and the 2026 fixtures which were to follow.
For Andre – now in his second season in gold and black having first arrived in the Black Country during the summer of 2024 – those months were crucial in setting the team up for what could be a miraculous end of the campaign.
The Brazilian midfielder has played a key role in most of the Premier League outings since then. Although, one match before the new year he was absent for was the game which started Edwards' first run of unbeaten outings, as he served a one-game suspension for the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in late December.
But Andre felt the upturn in fortunes was only going to be a matter of time after performances – if not results – had been getting better and better during the latter weeks of 2025.
“We’ve had some very good performances this season and tried to take the opportunity of getting something positive from the matches,” the Brazil international said. “But the goal was always to improve and look upwards from here.
“We played well against Arsenal, we played well against Liverpool, we played well against Manchester United, and I think we just needed to maintain that improvement so we were able to get our first victory.”
The Official Wolves Podcast delve into Andre's recent performances.
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That first victory finally arrived in the opening game of 2026 at home to West Ham United - although Andre had to earn his place back in the starting 11 after suspension
Coming off the from the bench in the second half, Wolves had already put three past the Hammers without reply, meaning the midfielder was tasked with helping the team maintain their first clean sheet of the campaign, which he did with aplomb.
Despite Wolves still sitting bottom of the Premier League standings, the team have having racked up 15 points under Edwards and closed the gap on the teams above them in the table.
Heading into 2026, retaining their top flight status had seemed an almost impossible possibility, but with survival still a mathematical possibility with seven matches of the season remaining, Andre believes the more time the players spent learning from Edwards and the coaching staff, the better their performances became.
“After the first few weeks with Rob, things finally started to come together,” he explained. “We started to understand what he wants for the matches.
“He wants us to keep hold of the ball, to increase the pressure, to improve overall. That time was useful to establish the quality and the levels that he would like from the players, and for us to keep up the good work.
“Personally, I try to have an intensive attitude. I try to be aggressive without the ball and when I don’t have possession in my area and I try to bring more quality to the game, but in that first stage it’s important to build that intensity and be aggressive as a player in the midfield.”
The 24-year-old has been back to controlling the midfield during the last few months as the team added incredible home victories against Aston Villa and Liverpool - in which Andre scored his first goal for the club.
With the game all square at 1-1, four minutes of added time had already passed when the Brazilian picked up the ball inside the Liverpool half before making space for himself and firing a low drive at goal.
The ball took a heavy deflection off the boot of Joe Gomez, beating his fellow countryman Alisson and nestling into the back of the net. A landmark moment for Andre.
“I was absolutely delighted to score my first goal here for Wolves, and even more so because it came in such an important match, in front of our fans,” he said.
“I had been chasing this goal for a while, so I was really happy to have helped the club and my teammates. It was a great win. Everyone deserved credit for their effort and commitment.”
“I believe these two consecutive wins, against two strong opponents, only boost our confidence even more for the remainder of the campaign.”
During his Wolves career, Andre has formed a central midfield partnership with fellow Brazilian international Joao Gomes and the pair have built up a good relationship on and off the pitch in the last 18 months.
But Andre admits there has been plenty of light-hearted ribbing between the duo – especially when it comes to the fortunes of their boyhood football clubs, Fluminense and Flamengo.
Two teams which are fierce rivals back in Brazil, Andre revealed that conflict does not replicate itself between the two teammates in the Compton Park changing room.
“I’m very happy having the opportunity to play with Joao. We are friends, I go to his house, he comes to my house.
“We’ve been through several situations together and we play in the national team together. It’s a good friendship and we support each other, and I really hope he achieves really great success.
“There’s not so much a rivalry between us, but he supports Flamengo, I support Fluminense and those teams they have a very big rivalry.
“I normally tell him, as a bit of a wind up, that he’s lost many matches against us in my time while I was playing there, and we take that as some banter, but we tend more to have a laugh about this.”
As well as not sharing passion for the same football team, Andre also doesn’t replicate Gomes’ love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, although the midfielder respects what participating in the martial art is doing to help his teammate.
“I don’t share his passion for jiu-jitsu, but it’s something that I like and I ask him questions about. I do like the sport, but I find it quite a bit hard and I’m a bit wary of trying it and hurting myself!
“But I know it’s something that is good for his health, for his mind, and he enjoys doing it.”
Heading into the home stretch of the season following a three-and-a-half week break before the next outing against West Ham on 10th April, Wolves will have to win the majority of their remaining fixtures if they want to overtake the teams above them in the table.
But with Andre in the heart of the team, things are definitely on the up for the Old Gold.
“The season hasn’t gone the way we expected, but as long as there’s a chance, we’ll keep working hard and giving our all on the pitch.
“We are having our moments, and we have to take advantage of these positive matches that we have had before. We’ll continue fighting until the end and we’ll be trying everything we can.”
A version of this article originally featured in Wolves' official 2025/26 matchday programme. This season's programmes are all available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
