Wolverhampton Wanderers will be back in the Premier League next season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers secured promotion to the Premier League on Sunday, beating Birmingham City 2-0 to guarantee their return to the top flight
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have been the runaway Championship leaders for much of the season, and can now look forward to being back in the Premier League after a six-year absence.
Super-agent Jorge Mendes has played a key role in Wolves’ promotion, as he helped bring a number of his clients – Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Helder Costa, Ivan Cavaleiro and Roderick Miranda – and here are five more players under his Gestifute agency who could be targeted after promotion to the Premier League…
Eliaquim Mangala
French centre back Mangala completed a big-money move from Porto to Manchester City in 2014 as Mendes engineered his switch, but he has endured a tough spell at the Etihad Stadium. Set to become a free agent this summer, the 27-year-old will be looking for a new club, and Mendes may look to lure him to Molineux to keep him in the Premier League.
Ruben Dias
This may seem unlikely given Dias’ standing as one of Portugal’s top young talents, but the same was said of Neves last summer. Dias, 20, is touted for a huge future in the heart of the Portugal defence, with some keen for him to be in the World Cup squad this summer, though it may have come too early for him. Dias has emerged as a regular for Benfica this season, and would represent a major coup for Wolves if Mendes targets him.
Renato Sanches
Once touted as one of the world’s top young talents following Euro 2016, the former Benfica man endured a difficult first season with Bayern Munich before heading on loan to Swansea City, where he has struggled to make an impact. The 20-year-old will return to Bayern this summer after just nine league starts to Swansea, and Mendes may look to get his client settled down again, with a strong base of developing Portuguese talents potentially ideal for Sanches.
Andre Silva
22-year-old striker Silva was touted for big things at Porto, as he hit 21 goals last season to earn a big-money move to AC Milan last summer, with the Italian side spending £33million (Sky Sports) on the Portuguese hitman. With nine goals in 34 games this term, Silva hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, and after rumours that Wolves wanted Silva in January, it would be little surprise to see Mendes push for him to move to Molineux this summer.
Andre Gray
The only English client on Mendes’ books, Gray may just fit the bill for Wolves. Gray, 26, was not only born in Wolverhampton but also started his career with Wolves before being released at the age of 13, with a return ‘home’ potentially appealing after a frustrating season with Watford. With just four goals in 27 games for Watford since his big-money move from Burnley, Gray has struggled at Vicarage Road, and Mendes may see Wolves as the ideal club to get Gray back on track.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
