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From The Athletic -
“We need players that can make us stronger, no doubt about it.” Nuno Espirito Santo was unusually forthright when discussing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ summer priorities, just minutes after watching his team lose to Sevilla in the Europa League.
“The team that started the game is the same as the first this season. We made mistakes we cannot repeat. It’s my work to look at it and to try to make it better.”
The Wolves head coach doesn’t normally share his feelings in such a way. The trotted line is usually, “If there is a player who can improve us, we may do it”.
His post-Sevilla comments hinted at frustration for two reasons: 1) recruitment in the past year has been poor and 2) that has led to first-team regulars such as Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho becoming too indispensable to rest or rotate. And fatigue was what cost Wolves a special end to another deeply impressive campaign.
You could point to Nuno’s penchant for having such a small senior squad as being also to blame, but those are the parameters he’s set and it works for him. Yes, he has the final say on incoming transfers, but he will have expected more success from Patrick Cutrone (£16 million), Jesus Vallejo (loan), Daniel Podence (£17 million), Pedro Neto and Bruno Jordao (combined £22 million), Wolves’ first-team additions from the last two transfer windows. That’s £55 million. Number of Premier League starts between them? 22.
Cutrone has already left, Vallejo’s loan ended early, January addition Podence had to wait until four games before the end of the season for his first start and Jordao has made only four appearances in all competitions. Neto, at least, has shown bags of potential in his first campaign.
Right, that’s the past, so what about the future?
If Wolves are to gatecrash the top six next season, or even push for the top four, the squad needs reinforcing. Of the 11 subs named for the Sevilla game, only Neto and Diogo Jota are what you would term regular first-team players. The remaining nine (Jordao, Morgan Gibbs-White, Max Kilman, Leo Campana, Oskar Buur, Christian Marques, Lewis Richards and two goalkeepers, John Ruddy and Andreas Sondergaard) started three Premier League games between them in 2019-20. Campana — Jimenez’s only back-up striker in the first-team set-up — has yet to play a single minute for the club (albeit having only joined in January aged 19).
What Nuno must decide is whether to improve the bench with experienced, quality additions, or improve the first XI.
Ex-Wolves midfielder Alex Rae, a regular watcher of this team, believes it should be the former. He tells The Molineux View, The Athletic’s weekly Wolves podcast, “To break into that bracket, you have to invest some serious money and get elite players to get you into the top-four, top-five bracket.
“The majority of those teams will re-invest. You look at Chelsea. If Wolves want to kick on, they have to buy guys who go into your starting XI. By doing that, some of the players who’ve done brilliantly this season become squad players. Then you’ve got competition between the guys who come in and the guys who’ve done so well. That may well catapult you.
“I know they’re developing, I just feel it’ll be difficult to break into that Champions League situation. Do you gamble? Do you spend heavily? The amount of development with this group and the club in general, it’s really moved at a great pace. I’ll be interested to see where they go next year.”
Whether Nuno goes for first XI additions or squad players, the areas that need strengthening appear to be obvious.
Romain Saiss was a model of consistency when filling in at centre-half this season but Wolves will look to bring in a top-level defender to join Willy Boly and captain Conor Coady at the back.
Benfica’s Ruben Dias is a Portuguese international (check), aged between 20 and 25 (check) and a client of Jorge Mendes (check). That makes him an instant candidate to join Wolves and he was a primary target last summer, before Wolves were put off by a £50 million asking price. The 23-year-old, now a regular in the Portugal side, will still command a hefty fee but if anyone can knock that price down and bring him to Molineux, it’s Mendes.
With Moutinho turning 34 next month, Nuno will need to plan for life without him at some point (it was perhaps telling that the midfielder didn’t start at Chelsea on the final day and was the first player substituted against Sevilla) and bring in a high-quality midfielder to partner Ruben Neves. Franck Kessie has been on Wolves’ radar for the past two years and has just enjoyed an impressive season with AC Milan, who are reportedly keen to tie him down to a new deal. Wolves tried to put together a deal last summer and Milan were willing to sell for around £25 million, but Kessie’s wage demands were prohibitive. Again, as with Dias, Wolves may have to push the boat out to land their top targets.
Renato Sanches is a Portuguese international (check), aged between 20 and 25 (check) and a client of Mendes (check). Sanches is reviving his career after an excellent year in France with Lille, following disappointing spells with Bayern Munich and Swansea City on loan. Lille claim they’re turning down offers of £60 million for Sanches after signing him for £20 million a year ago.
Left-wing-back wasn’t an area Wolves anticipated needing to strengthen in the next two months but Jonny Castro Otto’s long-term absence with an ACL injury may force Nuno into the market. Ruben Vinagre looks set to deputise but with no senior cover for Matt Doherty if he switches over from his preferred right flank — unless you count Traore — Nuno may be tempted to bring in a temporary addition.
One player who covers left-wing-back and can also play further up the field is Dwight McNeil, who is on their shortlist this summer. A host of clubs are tracking the 20-year-old, who won’t come cheap, and Wolves tend not to buy Premier League players for over-inflated prices. Actually, they never do.
Oleksandr Zinchenko very nearly moved to Molineux two years ago before spurning a move at the last minute. He ended the season on the bench at Manchester City and Wolves remain big admirers of the 23-year-old, not least for his versatility (a key trait in a small squad). Again, the price would have to be right. Norwich City’s Max Aarons, who can play on either side, is also being monitored.
Finding that elusive striker to compete with/play back-up to Jimenez is Wolves’ top priority for the summer but also their most difficult challenge. In 2018-19, their primary target was Tammy Abraham, who turned them down to stay with Villa on loan and then return to Chelsea. Last season, Cutrone was the chosen one, but he failed to settle and was gone within six months.
This summer, if Campana (a 20-year-old Ecuador international) or Renat Dadashov (the 21-year Azerbaijan international) from the under-23s aren’t up to standard, then Paulinho from Braga has been widely reported as an option. He netted 25 goals in all competitions last season but the £25 million fee being touted in Portugal is way above what Wolves would be willing to pay.
Apart from Jimenez, who cost £32 million, Wolves haven’t breached the £20 million mark, despite Fosun spending almost £200 million in the past two seasons. Jeff Shi is adamant that the ethos of investing in younger players (for between £10 million and £20 million) with the potential to improve, and then developing them to be worth far more, is the most prudent approach. It’s one that has served Wolves well, with the likes of Neves (£15 million), Jota (£13 million), Traore (£18 million) and Boly (£10 million) worth far more than what Wolves paid for them.
There is money to spend. Like all clubs, Wolves have been hit in the pocket by coronavirus but they have recouped money smartly: they have banked £40 million for Helder Costa (Leeds United) and Ivan Cavaleiro (Fulham) and will receive another £16 million for Cutrone when his move to Fiorentina goes through. Added to the £10 million made from Europa League prize money, Nuno will have a sizeable budget.
The coming weeks will also be a test of Wolves’ new hierarchical structure. Sporting director Kevin Thelwell left in February and has not been directly replaced, with Shi instead relying on a committee-based system of senior staff (such as recruitment specialists and analysts) to advise him on first-team recruitment, with Mendes again pulling the strings overseas.
All of the above depends on Wolves keeping their star players, which is the most pressing priority. Despite incessant links to the contrary, Wolves remain confident they will keep Jimenez and Traore, the most vaunted of their key men. Indeed, recent reports saying Jimenez was set to imminently move to Manchester United were met with befuddlement at Molineux, with senior figures choosing to ignore the white noise of the rumour mill. While Jimenez, Traore and Neves are attracting attention, none of them is angling for a move. They are settled in the area and at the club.
Tifo’s suggested central midfielder — Wendel (Sporting Lisbon)
Renato Sanches is an excellent choice by Tim — as well as ticking the boxes referenced above, Sanches is a dynamic, linking midfielder who can provide energy and get forwards to support Wolves on the break. Using last season’s data from StatsBomb, his 5.3 final-third passes and two key passes per 90 minutes show he can get the ball forwards; 2.2 shot-creating actions — where one of the final two moves before a shot were completed by Sanches — show his creativity, and 2.3 tackles or interceptions won and 7.6 successful pressures per 90 minutes show he holds up well defensively. He’s not a Moutinho replacement, but Neves can spray the ball around in a similar way and Wolves should be looking for someone to get forwards, maintain a higher defensive line, and add a little more activity to their pursuit of the ball.
An alternative would be Sporting Lisbon’s Wendel. He is more of a deep playmaker than a holding defensive midfielder and can play further up the pitch if required. Playing in a double pivot with Idrissa Doumbia or on the left of a midfield three, Wendel has the role of progressing the ball into more dangerous positions, while Doumbia does the dirty work. He got three goals and two assists last season, while also winning 1.7 tackles or interceptions per 90 — but that should be considered alongside that fact that Doumbia was the ball-winner, and Sporting have a lot of possession, which reduces defensive metrics across the team.
Wendel’s role is to keep his team heading up the pitch — he works hard to give the man on the ball an option, takes it, passes it on quickly and moves again. Receive, pass, move. He is also able to pop up with some nice through-balls and the odd goal. He receives well under pressure, and always looks to find space to offer an option again. He would probably be less expensive than Sanches and offers the kind of versatility that would allow Wolves to tinker with the midfield balance and find the right fit.
“We need players that can make us stronger, no doubt about it.” Nuno Espirito Santo was unusually forthright when discussing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ summer priorities, just minutes after watching his team lose to Sevilla in the Europa League.
“The team that started the game is the same as the first this season. We made mistakes we cannot repeat. It’s my work to look at it and to try to make it better.”
The Wolves head coach doesn’t normally share his feelings in such a way. The trotted line is usually, “If there is a player who can improve us, we may do it”.
His post-Sevilla comments hinted at frustration for two reasons: 1) recruitment in the past year has been poor and 2) that has led to first-team regulars such as Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho becoming too indispensable to rest or rotate. And fatigue was what cost Wolves a special end to another deeply impressive campaign.
You could point to Nuno’s penchant for having such a small senior squad as being also to blame, but those are the parameters he’s set and it works for him. Yes, he has the final say on incoming transfers, but he will have expected more success from Patrick Cutrone (£16 million), Jesus Vallejo (loan), Daniel Podence (£17 million), Pedro Neto and Bruno Jordao (combined £22 million), Wolves’ first-team additions from the last two transfer windows. That’s £55 million. Number of Premier League starts between them? 22.
Cutrone has already left, Vallejo’s loan ended early, January addition Podence had to wait until four games before the end of the season for his first start and Jordao has made only four appearances in all competitions. Neto, at least, has shown bags of potential in his first campaign.
Right, that’s the past, so what about the future?
If Wolves are to gatecrash the top six next season, or even push for the top four, the squad needs reinforcing. Of the 11 subs named for the Sevilla game, only Neto and Diogo Jota are what you would term regular first-team players. The remaining nine (Jordao, Morgan Gibbs-White, Max Kilman, Leo Campana, Oskar Buur, Christian Marques, Lewis Richards and two goalkeepers, John Ruddy and Andreas Sondergaard) started three Premier League games between them in 2019-20. Campana — Jimenez’s only back-up striker in the first-team set-up — has yet to play a single minute for the club (albeit having only joined in January aged 19).
What Nuno must decide is whether to improve the bench with experienced, quality additions, or improve the first XI.
Ex-Wolves midfielder Alex Rae, a regular watcher of this team, believes it should be the former. He tells The Molineux View, The Athletic’s weekly Wolves podcast, “To break into that bracket, you have to invest some serious money and get elite players to get you into the top-four, top-five bracket.
“The majority of those teams will re-invest. You look at Chelsea. If Wolves want to kick on, they have to buy guys who go into your starting XI. By doing that, some of the players who’ve done brilliantly this season become squad players. Then you’ve got competition between the guys who come in and the guys who’ve done so well. That may well catapult you.
“I know they’re developing, I just feel it’ll be difficult to break into that Champions League situation. Do you gamble? Do you spend heavily? The amount of development with this group and the club in general, it’s really moved at a great pace. I’ll be interested to see where they go next year.”
Whether Nuno goes for first XI additions or squad players, the areas that need strengthening appear to be obvious.
Romain Saiss was a model of consistency when filling in at centre-half this season but Wolves will look to bring in a top-level defender to join Willy Boly and captain Conor Coady at the back.
Benfica’s Ruben Dias is a Portuguese international (check), aged between 20 and 25 (check) and a client of Jorge Mendes (check). That makes him an instant candidate to join Wolves and he was a primary target last summer, before Wolves were put off by a £50 million asking price. The 23-year-old, now a regular in the Portugal side, will still command a hefty fee but if anyone can knock that price down and bring him to Molineux, it’s Mendes.
With Moutinho turning 34 next month, Nuno will need to plan for life without him at some point (it was perhaps telling that the midfielder didn’t start at Chelsea on the final day and was the first player substituted against Sevilla) and bring in a high-quality midfielder to partner Ruben Neves. Franck Kessie has been on Wolves’ radar for the past two years and has just enjoyed an impressive season with AC Milan, who are reportedly keen to tie him down to a new deal. Wolves tried to put together a deal last summer and Milan were willing to sell for around £25 million, but Kessie’s wage demands were prohibitive. Again, as with Dias, Wolves may have to push the boat out to land their top targets.
Renato Sanches is a Portuguese international (check), aged between 20 and 25 (check) and a client of Mendes (check). Sanches is reviving his career after an excellent year in France with Lille, following disappointing spells with Bayern Munich and Swansea City on loan. Lille claim they’re turning down offers of £60 million for Sanches after signing him for £20 million a year ago.
Left-wing-back wasn’t an area Wolves anticipated needing to strengthen in the next two months but Jonny Castro Otto’s long-term absence with an ACL injury may force Nuno into the market. Ruben Vinagre looks set to deputise but with no senior cover for Matt Doherty if he switches over from his preferred right flank — unless you count Traore — Nuno may be tempted to bring in a temporary addition.
One player who covers left-wing-back and can also play further up the field is Dwight McNeil, who is on their shortlist this summer. A host of clubs are tracking the 20-year-old, who won’t come cheap, and Wolves tend not to buy Premier League players for over-inflated prices. Actually, they never do.
Oleksandr Zinchenko very nearly moved to Molineux two years ago before spurning a move at the last minute. He ended the season on the bench at Manchester City and Wolves remain big admirers of the 23-year-old, not least for his versatility (a key trait in a small squad). Again, the price would have to be right. Norwich City’s Max Aarons, who can play on either side, is also being monitored.
Finding that elusive striker to compete with/play back-up to Jimenez is Wolves’ top priority for the summer but also their most difficult challenge. In 2018-19, their primary target was Tammy Abraham, who turned them down to stay with Villa on loan and then return to Chelsea. Last season, Cutrone was the chosen one, but he failed to settle and was gone within six months.
This summer, if Campana (a 20-year-old Ecuador international) or Renat Dadashov (the 21-year Azerbaijan international) from the under-23s aren’t up to standard, then Paulinho from Braga has been widely reported as an option. He netted 25 goals in all competitions last season but the £25 million fee being touted in Portugal is way above what Wolves would be willing to pay.
Apart from Jimenez, who cost £32 million, Wolves haven’t breached the £20 million mark, despite Fosun spending almost £200 million in the past two seasons. Jeff Shi is adamant that the ethos of investing in younger players (for between £10 million and £20 million) with the potential to improve, and then developing them to be worth far more, is the most prudent approach. It’s one that has served Wolves well, with the likes of Neves (£15 million), Jota (£13 million), Traore (£18 million) and Boly (£10 million) worth far more than what Wolves paid for them.
There is money to spend. Like all clubs, Wolves have been hit in the pocket by coronavirus but they have recouped money smartly: they have banked £40 million for Helder Costa (Leeds United) and Ivan Cavaleiro (Fulham) and will receive another £16 million for Cutrone when his move to Fiorentina goes through. Added to the £10 million made from Europa League prize money, Nuno will have a sizeable budget.
The coming weeks will also be a test of Wolves’ new hierarchical structure. Sporting director Kevin Thelwell left in February and has not been directly replaced, with Shi instead relying on a committee-based system of senior staff (such as recruitment specialists and analysts) to advise him on first-team recruitment, with Mendes again pulling the strings overseas.
All of the above depends on Wolves keeping their star players, which is the most pressing priority. Despite incessant links to the contrary, Wolves remain confident they will keep Jimenez and Traore, the most vaunted of their key men. Indeed, recent reports saying Jimenez was set to imminently move to Manchester United were met with befuddlement at Molineux, with senior figures choosing to ignore the white noise of the rumour mill. While Jimenez, Traore and Neves are attracting attention, none of them is angling for a move. They are settled in the area and at the club.
Tifo’s suggested central midfielder — Wendel (Sporting Lisbon)
Renato Sanches is an excellent choice by Tim — as well as ticking the boxes referenced above, Sanches is a dynamic, linking midfielder who can provide energy and get forwards to support Wolves on the break. Using last season’s data from StatsBomb, his 5.3 final-third passes and two key passes per 90 minutes show he can get the ball forwards; 2.2 shot-creating actions — where one of the final two moves before a shot were completed by Sanches — show his creativity, and 2.3 tackles or interceptions won and 7.6 successful pressures per 90 minutes show he holds up well defensively. He’s not a Moutinho replacement, but Neves can spray the ball around in a similar way and Wolves should be looking for someone to get forwards, maintain a higher defensive line, and add a little more activity to their pursuit of the ball.
An alternative would be Sporting Lisbon’s Wendel. He is more of a deep playmaker than a holding defensive midfielder and can play further up the pitch if required. Playing in a double pivot with Idrissa Doumbia or on the left of a midfield three, Wendel has the role of progressing the ball into more dangerous positions, while Doumbia does the dirty work. He got three goals and two assists last season, while also winning 1.7 tackles or interceptions per 90 — but that should be considered alongside that fact that Doumbia was the ball-winner, and Sporting have a lot of possession, which reduces defensive metrics across the team.
Wendel’s role is to keep his team heading up the pitch — he works hard to give the man on the ball an option, takes it, passes it on quickly and moves again. Receive, pass, move. He is also able to pop up with some nice through-balls and the odd goal. He receives well under pressure, and always looks to find space to offer an option again. He would probably be less expensive than Sanches and offers the kind of versatility that would allow Wolves to tinker with the midfield balance and find the right fit.
