Lille’s Renato Sanches was never a realistic option for Wolverhampton Wanderers in January with the Premier League outfit determined not to impede Luke Cundle’s progress, according to The Athletic.
Speculation linking the prancing, playmaking Portugal international with a big-money move to England is something of a bi-annual tradition these days.
And, on the final day of last summer’s transfer window, Sanches came within touching distance of putting pen to paper at a club who have signed so many Iberian internationals since Fosun’s 2016 takeover that they even donned a red and green away kit in homage to their Portuguese traditions.
According to Mais Futebol, Sanches was all set to join Wolves on loan on August 31. That was, however, until Wolves baulked at Lille’s demands for a £25 million purchase-clause.
Perhaps they felt, for all Sanches’ talent, his injury record meant this was a £25 million risk not worth taking. Maybe the 24-year-old’s infamous spell at Swansea City counted against him too.
Either way, Wolves backed out of negotiations at the 11th hour. Quite literally, almost. And, six months’ on, there was no real suggestion that the Sanches deal would be revisited.
Were Wolves right to avoid Renato Sanches?
According to The Athletic, the men from Molineux are content with their current central midfield options. Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho are plying some of their finest football under Bruno Lage. And, in Leander Dendoncker, Wolves have a reliable, versatile, hard-working Belgian international in reserve.
19-year-old Cundle is fourth choice.
Lage, and the rest of the Wolves squad, have plenty of admiration for the Warrington-born teenager. Some at Molineux are even concerned that the addition of another midfielder – a la Sanches – would impede his development.
“He knows we believe a lot in him,” Lage says of Cundle, who’s played twice for the first-team this season.
“Magnificent,” U23 coach James Collins adds, via Molineux News.
“He’s ready for that step up. Whether that’s with our first-team or whether that’s a loan, because watching him out there (in a reserve team clash with Birmingham City), I thought he was magnificent.
“He’s got an outstanding brain and drives the game. He runs the game and dictates it, which is a great skill. He’s intelligent, makes good decisions, can attack and defend.”
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