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For many clubs, hanging on to their star centre-forward and adding another striker for £24million would be something to celebrate.
Yet such is the bleak mood among many Wolves supporters that their club’s work on deadline day did little to lift the spirits.
Bottom of the table after three straight defeats, even signing peak Lionel Messi might have cut little ice for some of those who love the old gold. A lack of Premier League experience among the summer arrivals has also caused concern, not to mention the drop in quality caused by the departure of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
At Compton, though, they are cautiously optimistic about their work in the window. Except in central midfield, coach Vitor Pereira has cover in every position and plans to plug the gap in the middle by deploying Ladislav Krejci, who was signed from Girona and can deputise for Andre or Joao Gomes.
We will know the strength of Wolves’ work only in the months ahead. But as they look ahead to the autumn fixtures that will shape their season, resisting all offers for Jorgen Strand Larsen, who hit 14 goals last season, is a decent foundation on which to build.
Were Wolves always resolved to keep Strand Larsen?
Put bluntly, no. Had Newcastle made their approach two or three weeks earlier, there is every chance they would have succeeded. Wolves know there is no guarantee they will ever receive a bid as high as £55million again – yet waving goodbye to Strand Larsen with only days left in this window might have done fatal damage to their chances of staying in the top flight.
The loss of Jorgen Strand Larsen could have proved terminal for Wolves after a tricky window
Vitor Pereira will be keenly aware that there was little that could raise the mood after a woeful start to the season
It has been a delicate process. Aware of Newcastle’s interest, Strand Larsen informed Wolves he wished to be allowed to speak to them. Though a genuine injury ruled him out of the 3-2 defeat by Everton, there is the sense that, under slightly calmer circumstances, he might have been able to play.
Wolves are confident, however, that Strand Larsen is the type of character who will be able to refocus quickly and it is expected the Norwegian will be offered a new deal in the coming weeks. And now he has competition thanks to the £24m capture of Tolu Arokodare from Genk, who was joint-top scorer in the Belgian Pro League last term.
The best teams in Belgium would be a match for plenty in the Premier League, as Club Brugge showed against Aston Villa in the Champions League last term. Arokodare might not be challenging Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot, but he has the tools to make a strong contribution.
How were the departures of Cunha, Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo handled?
With varying degrees of success. The new contract Cunha signed in February was merely to move his release clause to a level he and Wolves knew would attract buyers in the summer. Sure enough, Manchester United concluded the £64m deal barely a fortnight after the season had finished. Though Wolves were grateful for Cunha’s performances last term, both parties knew it was time to move on.
Ait-Nouri’s case was a little different. Mail Sport understands that when Wolves approached Ait-Nouri about a new contract, the message came back that the 24-year-old fancied a new challenge. There were, however, only a handful of clubs he would consider – among them, Manchester City.
City pressed the button in the build-up to the Club World Cup in June and Ait-Nouri was gone for £35.5m. Though Wolves are confident they extracted a competitive price, with hindsight, they accept they might have driven a harder bargain, especially with City under pressure to finalise their squad for the tournament in the United States and Liverpool paying £6m more for Milos Kerkez not long afterwards.
Yet the Ait-Nouri fee was still one of the highest there has been for a left wing-back and overall Wolves were happy with their work. The Semedo saga was far more stressful, however.
As the Portuguese approached the end of his five-year deal, most at the club accepted he would leave. Preparations were even made for a ‘farewell’ video before Semedo joined his next club.
Both Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha left the side for Manchester clubs over the summer
Nelson Semedo's departure was a little more challenging after Pereira's 11th-hour bid to keep him at Molineux
That was when Pereira stepped in. With the coach desperate to keep him, Semedo was offered a four-year deal that would have made him top earner and one of the highest-paid players in Wolves’ history – not bad for a 31-year-old full-back.
But instead of changing Semedo’s mind, the proposal seemed to become a useful negotiating tool for him as he considered approaches from Europe and beyond. Eventually, Semedo joined Fenerbahce on July 31 – two months’ uncertainty that still ended with Wolves empty-handed. It would not be the only time they were to feel frustrated by full-backs.
How the signings were identified
Wolves’ No1 target to replace Semedo was Marc Pubill, who played for Almeria. Despite agreeing a fee for the Spain Under-21 international, Atletico Madrid stole him from under their noses. It was a similar story with Sevilla defender Juanlu, who opted to wait – in vain – for Napoli to bid, rather than join Wolves. The Italian champions looked elsewhere and Juanlu is still at Sevilla.
While Wolves were disappointed, Pereira has been clear all summer that he wants only those players who are completely convinced by his project. In discussions with Pubill, it is thought a relegation escape clause was floated, while Juanlu’s response was equally lukewarm. Despite being offered Coventry right-back Milan van Ewijk, Wolves felt Jackson Tchatchoua – clocked the fastest player in Serie A last season – fit their requirements better.
Whereas some clubs rely mainly on data and analytics to source targets, Wolves’ approach is different. They retain strong links with Gestifute, the company run by super-agent Jorge Mendes, and rely heavily on live and video scouting. Targets are then evaluated by key staff – but Pereira always has the final say. Potential players must be tall, quick and aggressive to earn his approval.
Though there are concerns about the lack of Premier League experience among Wolves’ recruits, the club have largely operated this way during the Fosun era, with English-based signings relatively rare. Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota arrived with no record in English football and became some of Wolves’ best players of modern times.
While it might be a stretch to expect the same results from this crop, there are high hopes for Fer Lopez. Do not be surprised to see the 21-year-old Spanish attacker force his way into the starting XI soon, if not at Newcastle on September 13 then perhaps for Wolves’ next home game, against Leeds a week later.
Sevilla's Juanlu (centre) was not interested enough in joining the Premier League outfit
But Fer Lopez (right) could prove another rough diamond like former stars such as Diogo Jota
Midfield doubts
Central midfield. In a well-stocked squad, that position still lacks cover, and Wolves fans are rightly concerned at what would happen should Andre or Joao Gomes be ruled out for a significant period.
Given the lack of resources, was it prudent to let both Tommy Doyle and Boubacar Traore leave? With Doyle, who has joined Birmingham for the season, it was simple – Pereira does not rate the Manchester City academy product, so felt there was little point keeping him around merely to fill a slot.
Though Traore matches up to Pereira’s requirements slightly better, the Portuguese remains unconvinced and would probably not have used Traore much had he stayed. Instead, Pereira expects Ladislav Krejci to step into midfield when one of his main two is unavailable and declined to move for former Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill, who was available on a free transfer.
Andre was targeted by Juventus earlier in the window but the process never progressed beyond initial enquiries, and Wolves were always reluctant to sell the Brazilian. He and Gomes will carry a heavy load this season.
Pereira’s contract
Mail Sport understands the contract situation will be addressed now the transfer window is closed, but neither side sees the need to be hasty. Wolves have yet to score a point and the priority has to be to improve results quickly, especially with the three promoted teams – Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland – looking more competitive than their counterparts from the last two seasons.
There is one other important point: Wolves handed Gary O’Neil and his assistants new four-year deals on the eve of last season. They did not win in the league until November 9 and on December 15, O’Neil was sacked.
Pereira knows the game, too. If all sides agree he should have a new contract, negotiations would proceed swiftly, given the relationship between chairman Jeff Shi and Gestifute, who represent Pereira. His current arrangement runs to the end of this season.
The last thing Wolves need is another campaign like last season or 2022-23, when they also spent significantly in the summer, started poorly, changed managers and had to spend all over again in January to stay up. These are tough times and a strong September would be welcomed by everyone.
