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Wolverhampton Wanderers have been the masters of the transfer market in recent years, which has helped them maintain their status as a Premier League club.

From signing prospects with plenty of potential to acquiring value-for-money players, every strategy has been optimised to the max.

However, it’s not just the buying of players that’s been a success, as the Molineux side also been able to sell their talents for large fees, notably Matheus Nunes and Diogo Jota.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a former player who Wolves truly hit the jackpot on back in 2017.

What Wolves paid for Ruben Neves

In the summer of 2017, Wolves signed highly-rated Ruben Neves from FC Porto, reuniting with Nuno Espírito Santo.

The Portuguese prospect had already cemented himself as one of the best upcoming talents in Europe, having already owned the status of the youngest player to captain a side in the Champions League.

Although the fee paid for the midfielder wasn’t confirmed, it is reported to have been around £15m, making him one of the most expensive Championship transfers of all time.

During his first campaign, Neves’ quality and influence on the team were immense over his 42 matches, scoring six goals and helping Wolves win the title, ultimately seeing them return to the Premier League – the division they play in to this day.

The fee that Wolves sold Neves for

Throughout his time in the Premier League, the former Wolves number eight developed into an elite midfielder, playing 177 times in the competition and scoring 21 goals.

The 27-year-old even played a vital role in Wolves’ 2019/20 Europa League run, starting nine times and picking up two goal contributions as they made it to the quarter-finals.

Around this point, Neves’ value had skyrocketed, as according to Transfermarkt, he was estimated to be worth £43m, which is more than Matheus Cunha’s value today, for example, £36m.

Nonetheless, in the summer, Wolves parted ways with the Portugal international, as the departing hero was one of the many players to join the Saudi Pro League, becoming an Al Hilal asset in a deal worth £47m.

As you can see, this makes Neves the second most expensive sale from the club of all time, ranking just below Nunes and higher than Jota.

Selling the “superb” ace, as dubbed by journalist Nathan Judah, for such a high fee means that the club profited heavily, even selling the midfielder for 200% more than what they bought him for six years prior.

Not only did this enable Wolves to invest in the squad, but it meant that they could almost entirely fund their move for Cunha with the Neves sale, which has proven to be a masterstroke.

The Brazilian has been absolutely unbelievable in the Premier League this season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists, and without him in the side, it’s almost guaranteed that Gary O’Neil’s side would be much worse off.

Today, Neves is currently enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia, helping his side to the league title with ten assists in 26 starts, but it’s clear that Wolves – and Nuno – absolutely struck gold by beating the competition to his signature back in 2017.

Wolves may have made a bigger mistake than Vitinha by selling Neto upgrade

Wolves may have endured a mistake by selling a current sensation for peanuts back in 2019…

By
Ross Kilvington

Apr 18, 2024

Leeds United have made a move to bring Hamed Junior Traore to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Giovanni Carnevali, with the Sassuolo chief revealing in a recent interview with Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) that Victor Orta has now made a request to sign the versatile forward, for whom the Serie A club are reported to be demanding a figure of around €25m (£22m) this summer.

When asked about the interest surrounding the 22-year-old, Carnevali said: “We have received a request [from Leeds], but I repeat, we will not sell all of [our most valuable players].”

Orta’s next Raphinha

Considering just how impressive Traore was for Sassuolo last season, and with the Whites’ current star forward Raphinha looking certain to move onto pastures new this summer, it is not difficult to understand why Orta is keen on a deal to bring the Ivory Coast international to Elland Road ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Indeed, over his 31 Serie A appearances for Alessio Dionisi’s team last season, the £26m-rated talent was in fantastic form. He scored seven goals, registered four assists and created six big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 1.6 shots, making 1.2 key passes and completing two dribbles per game.

Furthermore, according to FBRef data, the £15k-per-week attacker ranks in the top 18% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s big five leagues and European competitions for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 24% for shots, the top 11% for progressive carries, the top 16% for progressive passes and the top 13% for dribbles completed over the last 365 days.

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Further still, the player who Alessandro Dal Canto dubbed an “explosion” also impresses in defensive metrics, with FBRef ranking the 22-year-old in the top 20% for pressures per 90, in addition to the top 22% for tackles, the top 24% for interceptions and the top 37% for blocks over the past 12 months.

These returns see FBRef compare Traore to some of the most exciting attacking talents in European football, such as Lyon’s Houssem Aouar, Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry and none other than Leeds star Raphinha.

As such, considering that the Sassuolo sensation is incredibly deadly in the final third, exceptional in his progression of the ball and extremely adept when working back in a defensive capacity, it is clear to see why Orta has identified the four-cap Ivorian as a replacement for the Brazilian winger in Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad.

Indeed, should the Spaniard manage to get a deal over the line for Traore this summer, we would not bet against the youngster going on to become Orta’s next Raphinha-esque discovery in the transfer market – a prospect which is sure to excite the Leeds faithful and Marsch alike.

AND in other news: Orta set to launch huge Leeds offer “in the next few days”, supporters will be buzzing

Leeds United have discussed signing goalkeeper Ben Foster on a free transfer.

The Lowdown: Whites after an experienced goalkeeper

Jesse Marsch has made three summer signings so far in Brenden Aaronson, Ramus Kristensen and Marc Roca and appears to be on the hunt for more.

A new striker is seemingly on the agenda at Elland Road, as is an experienced goalkeeper to provide back up to Illan Meslier who will remain as first choice.

Foster confirmed last month that he will leave Watford this summer when his Vicarage Road contract expires, and it looks as if a move to Yorkshire is under consideration.

The Latest: Leeds talks leaked

MOT Leeds News relayed an update from The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones regarding Leeds’ transfer plans.

Jones leaked talks from inside Elland Road, claiming that Foster’s name has been ‘mentioned’ in discussions ahead of a possible move.

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The Verdict: Record breaker!

The 39-year-old was labelled ‘unbelievable’ by his former manager Nigel Pearson and has the record for the most saves of any goalkeeper in Premier League history, so a cut-price move could be a wise call.

Foster would bring plenty of experience and knowledge to Thorp Arch, something which could help Meslier take his game to the next level in England. He also made 29 Premier League appearances for Watford last season, so would provide adequate cover to the young Frenchman.

West Ham are one of the clubs on the trail of Bordeaux striker Hwang Ui-jo, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

Bordeaux finished bottom of Ligue 1 last season and consequently suffered relegation to the second tier. They have since been sent down another division to National 1, due to breaches of financial regulations.

Hwang made 29 league starts over the course of the campaign, with three further appearances as a substitute.

He spent much of his career in his native South Korea and Japan before moving to France in 2019.

Valued at £6.3million by Transfermarkt, the 29-year-old only has 12 months left to run on his Bordeaux contract, where there is likely to be a fire sale after their double demotion.

The latest

The Italian outlet reports that ‘a sudden opportunity’ has presented itself ‘on the market’.

Bordeaux are expected to sell Hwang this summer for a knock-down price, alerting a number of teams.

In terms of domestic suitors, Nantes have submitted an offer, while Marseille are back on the case after a failed pursuit in 2021. West Ham, along with newly-promoted Schalke, have also ‘taken information’.

It will come down to the player’s preferences, with the forward ‘free to choose his next club’.

The verdict

Hwang’s haul of 11 goals was fairly strong when you consider how much Bordeaux struggled. He was clinical too, comfortably out-performing his expected goal tally of 7.8 (via FBRef).

Overall, Hwang has netted 103 goals in 330 club matches and added 15 in his 45 South Korea caps.

In terms of playing style, he’s similar to Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson and former Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool star Luis Suarez.

Hwang, dubbed ‘brave’ and ‘a wonderful player to coach’ by former manager Jean-Louis Gasset, could be a solid, low-cost option for the Hammers as they look to bring in further cover and competition for Michail Antonio.

In other news, an update has emerged on West Ham’s pursuit of a PL midfielder. 

Leeds United have reportedly held ‘conversations’ over a move for Red Bull Salzburg striker Junior Adamu.

The Lowdown: Leeds interested in Adamu

The Whites have already raided the Austrian giants twice this summer by signing Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen. Leeds may not stop there though, with Sky Sport Austria recently claiming that Adamu is of interest to Jesse Marsch’s side.

Described as ‘ice cold’ and ‘special’ by UEFA-licensed coach Cherno Samba, Adamu has contributed to 14 goals in 44 games for Salzburg, and it looks as if a move to Yorkshire could be on the cards for the 21-year-old.

The Latest: Adamu transfer update

LUFCFANZONE provided an update regarding Leeds’ pursuit for a striker on Friday evening, which they shared on Instagram.

They spoke to a source close to Adamu, who confirmed that there have been ‘conversations’ over a possible move to Elland Road. The source added that ‘nothing is concrete yet – but he is definitely on Leeds’ shortlist’.

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The Verdict: Exciting

Victor Orta, Andrea Radrizzani and Marsch aren’t hanging around when it comes to bolstering Leeds’ squad this summer, with a third signing from Salzburg now on the cards.

Adamu looks like an exciting target, as he is still just 21 years of age and has an excellent record for Austria under-21s, scoring 11 goals in 13 games, so he could fit in perfectly at Elland Road alongside Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt.

LUFCFANZONE have mooted a £12m figure over a potential transfer, so Adamu could be the next exciting forward to leave Salzburg for the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Sadio Mane and Patson Daka.

In other news: ‘In the last few minutes’ – Sky Sports drop live TV news; Leeds now free to secure third summer signing

Manchester United are on the brink of a deal to sign FC Porto midfielder Vitinha for £34m, according to reports in Portugal.

The Lowdown: Vitinha profiled

Vitinha is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in holding or attacking midfield roles. The 22-year-old spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Wolves, making ‘special talent’ after making the move to Molineux.

The Premier League side didn’t exercise their option to make a move permanent, but the Portugal international, who shares the same agency as Cristiano Ronaldo, could now be heading back to England to work under Erik ten Hag.

The Latest: Transfer ‘imminent’

Sports Witness relayed an update from Portuguese 0utlet Record on Tuesday morning regarding Vitinha.

They claimed that the midfielder is heading for an ‘imminent’ exit, with a Premier League club set to exercise his €40m (£34m) release clause. Manchester United are the only club mentioned, with Vitinha apparently fitting Ten Hag’s style of play.

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The Verdict: Interesting…

Vitinha only made attacking midfielder.

He seemed to improve last season and was a regular for FC Porto playing in a deeper role though, so that could be a position Ten Hag looks to use him in going forward.

That would leave Bruno Fernandes free to occupy a more advanced role, and still just 22 years of age, United could look back on a move for Vitinha in years to come as a smart piece of business.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano now drops more transfer news he’s heard from Man Utd after ‘internal’ talks. 

Liverpool are set for a busy summer with the futures of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah’s future uncertain but replacements are potentially being lined up.

What’s the word?

Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma has been fielding interest from Liverpool for a while now but now reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the news.

The Italian journalist was speaking on his Here We Go podcast on Monday (via Liverpool Echo), and said: “He did really great with Villarreal, he has a release clause in his contract it’s around €45m (£38m), maybe a bit more, and so could be an opportunity in the market.

“Liverpool have been following him since January, let’s see if they will jump into it.”

The new Benzema

When Liverpool took on Real Madrid in the Champions League final a few weeks ago there would have been dread about facing Karim Benzema.

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The Frenchman didn’t score on the night as Madrid took home the crown but the concerns were hardly surprising considering the centre-forward bagged 44 goals in 46 matches this term.

That goal tally is rather obscene and considering Danjuma scored 16 times in comparison, it looks hard to make any sort of comparison on the surface.

Of course, the Netherlands international is capable of finding the net but not nearly as much regularity as the Madrid star.

That said, the 25-year-old is similar in many ways. Indeed, FB Ref’s ‘similar’ players model lists the duo as like-minded footballers and a delve into the stats shows you why.

Danjuma had 1.52 shots on target per 90 minutes compared to Benzema’s 1.63. Furthermore, they both fire their attempts at goal from a similar distance, with the former registering an average yardage of 14.7 compared to the latter’s 15.5 yards.

When it comes to progressive carries in possession, there isn’t much between them either, that’s despite Danjuma’s pace and tricky nature. The Dutchman makes an average of 5.79 per 90 in comparison to the former Lyon forward’s 6.32.

It’s rather evident that Benzema is the more clinical in front of goal but their style of play when it comes to both shooting and carries shows there is plenty to like, especially with the ex-Bournemouth man dubbed a “nightmare” by Kevin Phillips.

Danjuma is still very much finding himself as a footballer and despite not being the finished article would be a superb addition to Liverpool’s ranks.

AND in other news, Liverpool now in talks to sign “magic” £68.3m “weapon”, he’s Luis Diaz 2.0…

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has swung his axe as the Lilywhites close in on a summer exit, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs summer reshuffle…

Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici met with Conte in Italy last week to discuss recruitment strategy ahead of what will be a very interesting window for the north Londoners.

The Lilywhites head coach secured a Premier League top four finish and Champions League football for the 2022/2023 campaign, prompting the club to green-light a major £150million equity increase.

Conte will benefit from the bulk of these added funds as Spurs look set to back their manager and ensure he has most of what he needs for his first full season in charge.

While new signings have been heavily tipped, so have exits from Hotspur Way, with Football Insider now sharing the latest development involving midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.

The Latest: Tottenham hold Lo Celso talks…

According to their information, a Tottenham ‘agreement is close to being reached’ over Lo Celso’s permanent departure to Villarreal with ‘extensive talks’ held.

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This comes as Conte swings his axe and deems the Argentine ‘surplus to requirements’.

As per this update, Spurs are keen to offload, so much so they’re willing to take a near-£10million loss.

The Verdict: Major update…

Dropping the asking price from £30million to around £20million, according to this report, certainly stands out as a major call.

Perhaps this is an indicator of Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy’s eagerness to back Conte and seriousness in going the extra mile to display a matched ambition.

Selling Lo Celso for that amount is generous to say the least, especially considering he thrived on loan under Unai Emery and was a key player on their run to the Champions League semi-finals.

In other news: Alasdair Gold says ‘exciting’ Conte target is now eyeing a move to Tottenham! Find out more here.

A twist in the tale has now come to light regarding Declan Rice’s future at West Ham United, as broken by 90min journalist Toby Cudworth.

The Lowdown: Rice summer saga…

Reports concerning the 23-year-old’s London Stadium future have been in no short supply over the last few months, with Fabrizio Romano even lifting the lid on a rejected third contract offer from the Irons.

According to some, David Moyes’ star asset has pledged to remain in east London until at least 2023, as explained by insider Claret & Hugh. Meanwhile, there have been other suggestions that Rice is more open than ever to leaving the Premier League club this summer as the likes of Manchester United hover for his signing.

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In a bid to keep Rice at the club and extend his deal, in what has been described as a ‘big’ story, Cudworth has shared a twist out of West Ham.

The Latest: GSB pull U-turn?

According to the reporter, a ‘sizeable shift in stance’ is on the cards surrounding a new deal for the 23-year-old, with West Ham now ‘ready to consider’ inserting a release clause.

This would hand Rice a route out of Rush Green, a contractual clause thought to be never on GSB’s agenda, but it may now be a possibility to entice him to put pen to paper.

Sharing a corresponding article for 90min, Cudworth explained on Twitter: “West Ham ready to consider including a release clause in improved Declan Rice contract. Would mark a sizeable shift in stance but increases agreement chances and preserves full value when the time comes to sell.”

The Verdict: Significant update?

The inclusion of a possible exit clause would relinquish West Ham and GSB’s control over stopping the 23-year-old from departing.

In this respect, Cudworth’s update comes as potentially significant, but much will depend on the size of the figure and whether any interested club will pay it.

In other news: Moyes now very likely to make major bid for ‘world class’ striker after claim that he ‘likes’ West Ham! Find out more here

Aston Villa have held talks with Burnley defender James Tarkowski over a possible move to the Midlands, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Tarkowski’s contract situation

The centre-back has been on the books at Turf Moor since 2016 and has made 219 appearances for the Clarets, 37 of which came during the 2021/22 campaign.

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The 29-year-old couldn’t prevent relegation for Burnley on the final day of the Premier League season and he now looks set to leave the club over the coming weeks. His contract expires at the end of June, and it looks as if a free transfer to Villa Park could now be on the cards.

The Latest: Villa hold talks with Tarkowski

Sky Sports shared a transfer update on Monday evening after Villa secured a free transfer for Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

They relayed the news on the French midfielder and also added that the club have also held talks with Tarkowski, although Villa are expected to face competition from a number of Premier League sides for the Burnley defender.

The Verdict: Smart move?

Tarkowski would bring plenty of Premier League experience with him to Villa Park, should a move materialise, so signing him without the expense of a transfer fee could be a wise move by Steven Gerrard.

The 41-year-old has already taken advantage of the free transfer market by signing Kamara, and it looks as if a defensive overhaul could now be on the cards in the Midlands.

Reports have suggested that the futures of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings are in doubt, which could leave Gerrard with just Calum Chambers and Kortney Hause as senior centre-back options.

Therefore, landing Tarkowski for nothing could be a smart move, and one which also wouldn’t eat into the manager’s £150m transfer kitty from NSWE.

In other news: NSWE now eyeing another defender; Villa chiefs sent to club after Gerrard approves