Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil may be struggling to buy a win in the Premier League this season, but there is no denying his side are up for the fight. The recent 2-2 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion, where the Old Gold scored two late goals, is evidence of this.
Surely, a first win will come sooner rather than later. When it does, it could prove to be the catalyst for the Midlands side to move away from the drop zone towards midtable.
O’Neil made several signings during the summer, players who could have a bright future in the game. The manager is building for the future, but he needs those new arrivals to start performing sooner rather than later.
It wasn’t his signings that gained the most attention, however, but rather those he had to move on to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations, which may have impacted their performances on the field.
Wolves had to sell two of their prized assets during the summer
The first player to be sold was Max Kilman, who joined West Ham United for a fee of around £40m. The former Wolves captain was an integral part of O’Neil’s side last season as they finished away from the relegation places.
Indeed, the Englishman played every single Premier League fixture for the Old Gold, but it was clear an offer of £40m was too good for the club to turn down.
It wasn’t just Kilman who left, as towards the end of the summer window, Pedro Neto began to attract attention and it was clear he would be leaving the club. The question was, who would stump up the fee O’Neil was demanding?
In the end, Chelsea secured a move for the winger for a fee in the region of £54m, ensuring Wolves raked in a significant fee for the forward, which allowed them to move to bolster their own team.
Player
Transfer fee
Pedro Neto
£54m
Mattheus Nunes
£53m
Ruben Neves
£47m
Diogo Jota
£41m
Max Kilman
£40m
Via Wikipedia
Although receiving nearly £100m for the pair was wonderful in terms of finances, O’Neil lost his captain and main attacking threat in the same window. This could take the Old Gold a few transfer windows to secure adequate replacements, however.
It isn’t the first time the Molineux side has seen talented players depart, and it certainly won’t be the last. This has been happening ever since they secured promotion back to the top flight in 2018.
Nuno Espírito Santo oversaw a whole host of players who left and are now playing for better teams or finally showcasing their true talents.
One name is Jesus Vallejo, who spent a single season in the Midlands but is currently playing for one of the biggest teams in the world.
Jesus Vallejo’s Wolves statistics
Santo led Wolves to an impressive seventh-place finish in their first season back in the Premier League during the 2018/19 campaign. That summer, the Portuguese manager was aiming to further bolster his squad to cope with the demands of playing in Europe, plus trying to replicate their top-flight success.
In came players such as Neto, Raul Jimenez, Patrick Cutrone, and Leander Dondoncker, who all enjoyed positive spells at Wolves as the club secured yet another seventh-place finish in the league while reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
One signing that went under the radar was that of Vallejo, who joined on a loan spell until the end of the campaign.
The Spaniard made just seven appearances for the club before his loan spell was cut short in January 2020. Three of those games came in the Europa League qualifiers, as he starred in a 4-0 win over Pyunik Yerevan.
Indeed, he was praised by Conor Coady after the game alongside Max Kilman, who said: “They were brilliant. We know the quality that Max and Jesus have – Jesus has come in from Real Madrid and you know he’s a top, top player, but I think the way they fitted into the shape and the system was the most impressive thing.
“It was important that we helped Jesus, but he’s a really clever lad who wants to be here, wants to improve and wants to help us move forward, and I think that’s refreshing to see.”
They appear to have messed up with Vallejo, by not giving him more of a chance to shine in the Midlands, as he is now part of a team that includes the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Luka Modrić, among many other major stars in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
Jesus Vallejo is part of the Real Madrid squad
Vallejo spent time on loan at Granada after he left Wolves, but since then, he has been part of the Madrid squad.
Since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, the defender has made just 13 appearances for the club, winning seven major honours during that time, including the Champions League and La Liga.
Not bad for a bit part player, but he will be hoping to make more of an impression this term. Last season, he may have featured in just three La Liga games, yet the Spaniard won 63% of his total duels, lost possession just three times on average, and averaged a 91% pass success rate.
These statistics suggest that he more than held his own when called upon by Ancelotti and was, perhaps, unfortunate not to see more minutes on the pitch for the Spanish giants.
If given a more regular chance in the first team, Vallejo could replicate these sorts of numbers for the club this season, especially with the current situation in defence at Madrid.
Nacho Fernandez left during the summer, leaving just David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger, and Eder Militao as the choices at centre-back for Carlo Ancelotti.
If there are any more injuries, this could open up a space for the former Wolves loanee to force his way into the starting XI and showcase his talents.
Vallejo certainly has the ability, but he hasn’t exactly had many chances to demonstrate it over the previous few years. If he does succeed, Wolves may rue not giving him more of a chance five years ago.
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