Molineux was a very different place when Romain Saiss arrived from Angers in the summer of 2016.
The long-serving defender has been through it all; Through the ill-fated Walter Zenga era and the short-lived Paul Lambert stint, from 15th in the Championship to within touching distance of the Europa League quarter-finals.
Saiss’ impending exit – his contract expires in July – won’t dominate the headlines like the potential departures of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves. But, make no mistake, his reliability, versatility and tactical intelligence will not be easily replaced.
Wolves are big fans of Sven Botman but Lille’s ball-playing Dutchman recently agreed a move to AC Milan. Links with Nikola Milenkovic and Duje Caleta-Car have gone quiet too. Though Niklas Stark has taken their place in the gossip columns.
Stark, should he arrive from Hertha Berlin in the off-season, will have big boots to fill.
So will Joao Palhinha According to The Athletic, Sporting Lisbon’s 6ft 4ins midfield mountain is viewed by Wolves as a like-for-like replacement for the evergreen but out-of-contract Moutinho.
Moutinho, Neves and Saiss out?
The Sun, meanwhile, believes that Bruno Lage and co are reluctantly preparing for life without the mercurial Ruben Neves. The long-serving maestro is a transfer target for some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Benfica’s £10 million-rated wonderkid Martim Neto has been lined up as a potential successor. Young, technically-gifted and with Jorge Mendes on speed dial, the 19-year-old is about as ‘typical’ a Wolves signing you could hope to find.
Martim Neto certainly feels more attainable that another of Wolves’ midfield targets, Matheus Nunes. The £33 million Sporting Lisbon playmaker – dubbed ‘one of the best players in the world’ by Pep Guardiola – will only leave the Estadio Jose Alvalade for a bonafide continental powerhouse (A Bola).
Wolves, for all their ambition, are not there yet.
It remains to be seen where Neves will be plying his trade in 2022/23. We can say with plenty of certainty, however, that Fernando Marcal will be a Botafogo player come August. Marcal, like Saiss and Moutinho, will be a free-agent in a matter of weeks. And Botafogo shareholder John Textor has already indicated that a deal is all-but done.
Pedrinho in?
Conor Coady, Max Kilman, Rayan Ait-Nouri and the returning, rampaging Pedro Neto have all been linked with moves away too. It is difficult to imagine Wolves considering offers for any of the aforementioned quartet however.
Barcelona are reportedly big fans of Pedro Neto but the La Liga giants are prioritising another Premier League wideman; Leeds United’s Raphinha.
Having scored just 32 goals in 33 games across 2021/22, Neto’s return to full fitness cannot come soon enough. The Portuguese whizzkid formed a thrilling partnership with the ethereal Daniel Podence during the first half of last season, blossoming into one of Europe’s best young forwards.
And, if Wolves can add another highly talented playmaker to their ranks in the shape of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Pedrinho, excitement will surely be in greater supply next term.
Pedrinho worked with Bruno Lage at Benfica a couple of years ago. His agent held ‘advanced’ talks with Wolves recently. That was before the Premier League decided against allowing players based in war-torn Ukraine to join top-flight clubs on short-term deals.
There’s nothing to stop the twinkle-toed, £18 million forward putting pen to paper with the Black Country giants in the summer however. According to Globo Esporte, Pedrinho has already agreed a move to an as-yet unnamed European club.
Could it be Wolves? Season-ticket holders hoping for more bang for their buck next season may be praying the answer to that question is a resounding ‘yes’.
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