Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster Connor Ronan swapped the Premier League for League One, joining Walsall in August.
Nuno Esprito Santo can call upon some of the richest owners in English football, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Chinese investors worth well into the billions.
So Wolves have the financial might to make a real splash in the transfer market over the coming years. Since being taken over by Fosun International in 2016, their transfer record has risen from £6.5 million to £18 million.
As a result, this has made it more difficult than ever for the club’s talented youngsters to make their mark. Kortney Hause and Dominic Iorfa, both England U21 internationals, have barely featured since Nuno took over at Molineux, for example, while highly-rated prospects like Rafa Mir, Donovan Wilson and Bright Enobhkahare have been loaned out.
So, no matter how well Connor Ronan performs at Walsall, the 20-year-old faces a massive challenge forcing his way into Wolves’ first-team plans.
Former manager Paul Lambert sang Ronan’s praises when he made his first-team breakthrough in 2017 but the skilful midfielder has not had much of a chance under Nuno, being loaned to Portsmouth in January before moving to Walsall in August.
Ronan has made an impressive start with the Saddlers, being described by Walsall skipper George Dobson as a ‘delight to watch’. But he has Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker all ahead of him at Wolves, with more big-name signings likely to come in the future.
Nuno, however, should make sure that the likes of Ronan, Elliott Watt and Morgan Gibbs-White are still given the chance to show what they can do. Finding a place for Ronan and co would show that Wolves are not all about the money.
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