Bruno Lage will aim to see Wolves qualify for Europe next season but he is yet to agree any transfers, so who are five former players the Molineux natives should re-sign this summer?
The Black Country side ended the last Premier League campaign in just 10th-place, despite often threatening a top-seven finish. A run of just one win and two draws in their final nine games ensured Lage’s squad plummeted down the standings from seventh as of March 13.
- Crystal Palace’s 22/23 XI with £20M West Ham target leading 4 new signings
- Jude Bellingham and Celtic ace lead Birmingham XI if they ket their top stars
Wolves were just five points from the top-four with nine games to play, as well, but would only beat Aston Villa thereafter. Leeds United, Newcastle United, Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion then beat them, in contrast, while Wolves could only draw with Norwich City.
Lage should re-sign former Wolves stars to aid European qualification push
Yet despite a disappointing finish to the 2021/22 Premier League season, Wolves have only registered one transfer this summer. And that was to retain Hee-Chan Hwang of RB Leipzig after he spent last term on loan at Molineux, but they took up the £12m option in January.
Lage could have extended Wolves’ spending by a further £19m by beating Fulham to Joao Palhinha’s transfer from Sporting Lisbon. But the Express & Star report the West Midlands outfit passed on an offer to sign the 26-year-old, despite Lage wanting to sign midfielders.
Wolves opted against signing Palhinha as Lage is looking to sign a more offensive-minded option to play centrally. He is also targeting a striker and defensive cover after releasing a clutch of his depth. So, what former Wolves players could Lage re-sign to solve his search?
Wolves should look to re-sign Doherty from Tottenham for defensive depth
Wolves should look to re-sign Matt Doherty from Tottenham Hotspur this summer to offer Lage extra defensive depth. Nuno Espirito Santo sanctioned the right-back’s £15m sale to Spurs in 2020, but his future in north London is unclear with a move possibly on the cards.
The Express have reported Antonio Conte could offload the Jose Mourinho purchase with the Italian keen on Djed Spence. Talks for Tottenham to sign the Middlesbrough defender are also ongoing, as The Telegraph now report they could finalise a £15m move this week.
Spence moving to the capital could free Wolves to re-sign Doherty, who made 302 outings whilst at Molineux. The 30-year-old’s Tottenham tally is considerably less, having featured just 55 times so far – including 21 from 15 starts for 1,285 minutes with Conte at the helm.
Wolves should re-sign Mir after proving 2021 sale decision was wrong
Wolves only sold Rafa Mir to Sevilla last year for €16m (£13.5m), including add-ons, having entered the final year of his contract. The centre-forward had also only featured four times for the Molineux side, between loans to UD Las Palmas, Nottingham Forest and SD Huesca.
But Mir has quickly proven Lage was wrong to offload the 25-year-old without giving him a chance under his tenure. In one year at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan under Julen Lopetegui, the former U23 international offered 13 goals from 47 games, starting 24 times.
His haul included 10 La Liga goals – including scoring away to Real Madrid – and one in the Champions League. Mir’s header at the Santiago Bernabeu broke the deadlock in the 12th-minute. So, the former Wolves player would be worth Lage re-signing if Sevilla would sell.
Lage can add defensive depth with Hause call in late summer return
Lage can add defensive depth with a call to Kortney Hause, but Wolves would have to wait until late in the summer to re-sign the Aston Villa player. The 26-year-old left Molineux for Villa Park in 2019 for £3m after impressing on loan in Birmingham during the prior season.
Hause is not a first-choice presence under Steven Gerrard, however, and only featured in three games after Dean Smith’s departure. The centre-half also last played in January and will miss much of Aston Villa’s pre-season after requiring minor surgery on his right knee.
The operation is expected to sideline Hause for the next four to six weeks, while his future in claret-and-blue was already uncertain. Gerrard has signed Diego Carlos from Sevilla for £26m, while Tyrone Mings, Calum Chambers and Ezri Konsa were already ahead in his list.
Wolves should win race to re-sign Vinagre straight after permanent exit
Wolves should win the race to re-sign Ruben Vinagre straight after the 23-year-old secured a permanent exit. Sporting Lisbon have taken up their option to sign the left-back for €10m (£8.5m) after loaning him from Lage’s side last term, but seem set to cash in straight away.
Reports by A Bola claim Vinagre is already back in England in anticipation of joining newly-promoted play-off winners Nottingham Forest. A move to the City Ground would see the former Portugal U21 ace return to the Premier League two years since his last appearance.
Vinagre enjoyed 35 top-flight games at Molineux after helping Nuno’s Wolves side win the Championship title in 2017/18. But he would leave the West Midlands in October 2020 to join Olympiacos on loan, before returning to Portugal with Famalicao and then Sporting.
Goncalves showing Wolves what they are missing with Sporting success
Pedro Goncalves is showing Wolves what they are missing after his departure in 2019 after lighting up the Liga Portugal. Nuno sold the left-winger to Famalicao two years on from his arrival in the West Midlands, having only featured in one first-team fixture for 28 minutes.
But a year with Famalicao that returned seven goals and eight assists from 40 games in all competitions convinced Sporting Lisbon to swoop. And the 24-year-old has since provided 38 goals and 18 assists from 78 games as a top-flight winner at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Goncalves helped Sporting win Liga Portugal in 2020/21 with 23 goals and four assists in 32 games. His output regressed somewhat last season with eight goals and nine assists in 27 games. But re-signing the former Wolves player could easily aid Lage’s search creativity.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
