Dorus De Vries ready to challenge for Wolves No.1 spot

Aug 8 2011 by Gregg Evans, Sunday Mercury

DORUS De Vries reckons he has joined Wolves at the perfect time as they embark on their third consecutive season in the Premier League.

The 30-year-old keeper says Molineux is oozing excitement as his new team prepare for the start of another top-flight campaign.

As well as strengthening their playing squad, the club are revamping their home ground and upgrading the training facilities at Compton Park.

De Vries, one of three summer signings, alongside Roger Johnson and Jamie O’Hara, knows it’s a positive time to be a part of the Wolves set-up and admits he cannot wait to get underway.

“I’ve not been here for too long, but I’ve been really impressed with everything so far at the club,” he said. “The squad is hungry for success and you can tell that they want to do well.

“They train really hard and they’re all fighting for their places.

“What’s great is they’re allwinners and they’re a tight-knit group.

“It’s all positive so far for me and when you look at where the club wants to go, it’s exciting.

“Look at the plans we have for the training facilities now and the future of the club.

“The stadium is being improved and when you look at all of those things together, it shows that the club is moving forward.”

De Vries left Swansea earlier this summer after talks broke down on extending his stay at the LibertyStadium.

During his time in Wales he made over 200 appearances and broke their record for clean sheets in 2009-10 with 25 shut-outs.

For the past four years the Dutchman had been the Swans’ first choice. However, he has now set himself a new challenge of becoming Wolves No.1.

“For me it’s a different situation, because the last couple of years I’ve been No.1 without a doubt, and of course I’ve worked really hard for that,” he added.

“But for me to come here as a fairly unknown player from Swansea City, the goalkeepers have been here for a long time already. All I can do as the new guy is train really hard.