Wolverhampton Wanderers have made some questionable signings over the years, with some talents proving to be big hits, and others being quickly forgettable.
This summer sparked change to the familiar squad at Molineux, with players needing to be offloaded and sold in order to balance the books with reference to the Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions in place.
Players such as club captain Ruben Neves and last summer’s blockbuster signing Matheus Nunes were sold to generate funds during the break, with the two sales accumulating £100m – £47m and £53m respectively.
While it was pivotal that business was efficient during the break due to tight financial pressures, transfers haven’t always been as smart for Wolves, as visible in the current members of the squad. Goncalo Guedes is one of the primary examples.
How much did Wolves sign Goncalo Guedes for?
Signed last summer from Valencia, winger Guedes made the £27.5m move to Molineux to join a host of Portuguese talent already in the Midlands.
At the time of his arrival, chairman Jeff Shi described the player as being “well suited to the Premier League”, insisting that the club had “been patient” to ensure they got the “right player.”
Just over a year down the line and the 26-year-old has made only 18 appearances for the Old Gold, scoring on two occasions during his time associated with the club so far. It’s safe to say that Fosun and Co picked the wrong player here.
What happened to Goncalo Guedes?
Earning £90k-per-week, Shi’s claims that the winger was ready to play in the Premier League proved to be false, with the former La Liga forward wasting his time at Wolves away.
Signed in August 2022, Guedes was shipped on loan to Benfica by January, and is yet to make another appearance for the side with his future looking to be far away from Molineux.
Former manager Julen Lopetegui explained that the £27.5m man was “not happy” at Wolves after his loan move to the Eagles, as he returned to the Lisbon-based club this summer on a season-long loan spell.
After just 18 appearances, it would be assumed that the attacker’s time is over in the Premier League, with him failing to adapt and wanting away from England as he continues to seek sanctuary in Portugal.
Journalist Nathan Judah didn’t hold back on his opinion of the winger, saying he has “zero interest in rotten apples” following his second loan move to Benfica last month.
While the disappointment of the transfer is understandable considering the price paid to obtain his services just a year ago, the 26-year-old was poor in Portugal, scoring just once in the league during his half-season loan with the Eagles.
Wolves have dodged a bullet by loaning the dud, however considering their recent financial problems, the money spent to sign the want-away has proven to be a complete waste of funds.
It’s likely that the Old Gold will permanently offload the forward in the near future as Gary O’Neil continues to build his favoured squad, although his dip in form will be damaging to the Midlands side, who are unlikely to make a profit in the instance of his sale.
As per CIES Football Observatory, the Portuguese international is valued at €20m (£17m), showing a dip of almost £10m in relation to the price the Premier League side paid for him just last year.
There remains hope that the 26-year-old can rediscover his form in Portugal to bolster his value, however, circumstances won’t change the fact that the market move was a low for Wolves.
