Julen Lopetegui left Molineux shortly before the start of the new campaign. Credit: Getty Images/Jack Thomas
It was a summer transfer window of cutting costs and tensions at Wolves, over £140m from player sales, the departure of head coach Julen Lopetegui and Matheus Nunez fined before his record move to the club.
A total of seventeen players left. including the sale of Nunez for £53m to champions Manchester City as the club took drastic measures not to violate Premier League financial rules.
Now that the window has closed, all the tensions of Wolves summer may be disclosed in full. reveal:
- Lopetegui was paid £8m a year and made the noble gesture of cutting his pay.
- Nunez was fined two weeks' wages for refusing to train, as discussed in negotiations with the winners of the treble.
- Wolverhampton have avoided further sales of key players, including Pedro Neto, Jose Sa and Ryan Ait-Nouri.
- The exodus of players will help fund the search for strikers in January.
After all dramatic but necessary player sales, Wolverhampton are now in a much better financial position and under the leadership of Gary O'Neal, Lopetegui's successor, a positive mood reigns.
O'Neal arrived with a clear statement.
This view is shared by Wolverhampton's internal management, who fear Lopetegui's disappointment could seriously derail the club's season.
Lopetegui first expressed concern at the end of last season, and then it spread to the summer. After a pre-season friendly against Celtic in late July, he dragged sporting director Matt Hobbs down the tunnel and told him he could not continue.
Wolverhampton pursued the Basque manager for more than six years. and a salary of £8 million a year reflected how important they considered his appointment.
Negotiations to terminate his contract were amicable, both parties wanted a speedy settlement, and it can be learned that Lopetegui agreed to compensation in less than a year, with two years left on his contract.
O' Neil was appointed a few days later and a great performance at Manchester United despite a 1-0 defeat encouraged the club that better times could be ahead.
However, player sales did not stop. Ruben Neves (£47m at Al Hilal), Nathan Collins (£23m at Brentford), Conor Coady (£7.5m at Leicester) and Raul Jimenez (£5.5m at Fulham») had already left, but the exodus continued.
Wolverhampton 2023 summer transfer window: players left
When Manchester City signed Nunes after Kevin De Bruyne was injured, further turmoil lay ahead.
After Wolverhampton rejected a £47m starting bid, Nunes reacted poorly. It is alleged that he took the boots home from the Compton training ground and refused to train. With Nunes even refusing to show up, Wolves chairman Jeff Shea balked at him.
Negotiations resumed last week with Wolves eventually agreeing to a renegotiated £53m deal with no additional conditions. The final agreement included a fine of two weeks' wages.
Hobbs also secured a separate deal for respected City midfielder Tommy Doyle, who joined the team on an initial loan. With the sale of former captain Neves, Doyle is seen as a quality replacement for his ability with the ball and set pieces.
The club can now re-sign
The money from Nunes' surprise sale has also allowed the Wolves to have some wiggle room in signing a new striker .
Southampton's Che Adams and Salernitana's Boulay Dia were discussed on the last day, but it was ultimately decided that the club would not panic and wait until January.
Until the multi-million dollar winter spending. Wolverhampton summer transfer window 2023: Players at
Over the summer, the Wolves spent an estimated £27.5m on new players, including Strasbourg midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Girona central midfielder Santiago Bueno.< /p>
Belleguard, in particular, has been a long-term target for Wolverhampton. Scouts, analysts and the club are hoping he can replicate the success of similarly priced acquisitions such as João Gomes.
Arsenal and Liverpool are among the clubs targeting the squad
It could have been worse if there were other sales players. Napoli have rejected a £30m offer for Max Kilman. Arsenal were interested in Neto, his long-term goal, and Forest had their sights set on goalkeeper Sa for much of the summer.
RB Leipzig made an offer for left-back Hugo Bueno, while Nice wanted Ait-Nuri. It is understood that Matheus Cunha, a record £44m signing, has also sparked interest from overseas clubs.
Nine players were eventually loaned out and eight players sold for over £140m. Wolverhampton also managed to remove João Moutinho and Diego Costa from the payroll, with both players earning over £100,000 a week.
So why the massive purge?
This strategy has disappointed supporters, but shows that Wolves take the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules seriously.
The risk of a possible points deduction or transfer ban in future years was a gamble they were not prepared for.
There is now hope for a brighter future and in Hobbs the club has a great operator who has performed very impressively under such tight restrictions.
The Wolves will return on Saturday for a home game against Liverpool, and finally, it's time to finally focus on football.
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