Transfer window: The verdict

[Stingray II]

I have loved this transfer window (well, the latter part anyhow ). Major changes and a definite improvement. I see ambition.

 

[SA Wolf]

Too many unknowns for me to rate the window. On paper, we have brought in some good players, but the game is not played on paper, so will reserve judgement until I've seen how they impact the team. To date, the new players that have played have been a mixed bunch. Collins seems to have settled in well and developed a rapport with Max. Guedes hasn't impacted games very much and Nunes has had moments, but again, his impact has been minimal. Early days of course, but can only comment on what's happening now, not in the future. Sasa and Traore are players I don't know and while they seem decent, let's wait and see.

The proof of whether all of the last few months has been worthwhile will come from results and being bottom of the league does not suggest that the team or squad is stronger. Better players and weaker team? The two points are not mutually exclusive as we have lost a lot of players who have played together for ages and have developed a rapport and team-bonding. A huge overhaul, like we have just seen could wreck that dynamic and we could be a lot weaker because of it. It's now Bruno's responsibility to use his squad properly and deliver results.

Only then, imo, can the transfer window be properly assessed.

 

[cannockwolves]

It's been a 9/10 Window for me. Keeping Neves, Moutinho, and Adama together for one more season is miles better than I expected. Really excited by Nunes, but he is off the pace yet.

If we had got Dawson as well it would be 10/10.

Disappointed in losing MGW, but good money so we move on. I am not fussed about any of the other to be honest, even Coady. I bet his constant chopping would get on your tits after a while, and there is no doubt Collins at 21 is excellent now and in 3 or 4 years a £100m defender if the current market is any thing to go by.

All the signings are the right age and quality and we have them on long contracts.

It's been incredibly good really, but don't expect the same again next summer. I think we might see those South Americans and a Neves replacement and that will be that.

 

[Don Corleone]

This transfer window for Wolves was overdue, should have sold Hwang and kept Donk, (assuming he’d have stayed), maybe they get Denanyer to sign as defensive cover as need that at full back.
Lage doesn’t have time and needs points.
Another CB and striker would have been the cherry on the cake.
COYW!

 

[nomadwolf]

Only 2(?) teams not had a good window and my faves to get relegated are...Leics (unless Rodgers goes quickly) and Bournemouth (unless they get Dyche, Big Sam, Warnock).

So, we in a dog-fight with 16 other teams to finish above one other in relegation zone and behind Man C, for CL/Europe qualification...

...or a cup...

Smells like a Championship football season.

Bring it on!

 

[Supadavewolf]

Ronan still here. Will surely be a first team squad member until at least January now?

Yes. Also Bueno, to boost the FB area if needed, a great talent.

 

[old wittonian]

Is Leo Bonatini still at the club ?

 

[Supadavewolf]

Is Leo Bonatini still at the club ?

Yes, apparently

 

[Supadavewolf]

Some valid arguments made regarding the strength of the window, but I think people are missing the key analysis -

Lost a big Willy

Gained a Bouby.


You're welcome.

 

[Oh When the Wolves]

Some serious height in our team now and also so much more athletic and mobile

Collins
Kilman
Nunes
Traore
Sasa

Please no more short corners

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

A very good transfer window and much needed. However it’s the results on the pitch that have to improve now. Fosun have spent the cash

 

[SquaddieWolf]

Finally - kudos to Liam Keen. Been generally on the money this summer. Stuck his neck out on the Traore deal and proven right.

I agree he's been much better than Madeley who reports something about 30 minutes after we have been discussing it on here

 

[Kashmire Hawker]

Ronan still here. Will surely be a first team squad member until at least January now?

Liam Keen and others confirmed that last night. Connor deserves his chance

 

[AndyY]

I'll be honest - this is as close to a 10/10 window as we have had since the Neves/Jota/Boly signings.

I was fully expecting us to lose Neves and invest some of the money. Things (obviously) changed massively, and we've even got the highest earning subs off the books for actual money.

BUT....we need to either change the manager or for Bruno to prove us all wrong. The lack of quality at the top can completely undercut the strength of this window.

Fosun have invested hugely and are unlikely to do so again for a while; this is now firmly Bruno’s squad and if we did change the manager we would have a situation where the incoming coach was having to play with players bought for Bruno and his system.
We also have the interruption of the World Cup reducing time for a new person to get to grips with the squad and whatever situation they find themselves in.
I can’t see much of a spend in January in these circumstances .
Let’s hope that Bruno integrates the new players quickly and we start to move up the table!

 

[Oh When the Wolves]

Fosun have invested hugely and are unlikely to do so again for a while; this is now firmly Bruno’s squad and if we did change the manager we would have a situation where the incoming coach was having to play with players bought for Bruno and his system.
We also have the interruption of the World Cup reducing time for a new person to get to grips with the squad and whatever situation they find themselves in.
I can’t see much of a spend in January in these circumstances .
Let’s hope that Bruno integrates the new players quickly and we start to move up the table!

Agreed

Let’s hope we can get 3 points Saturday then the team can start gelling

 

[Bill McCai]

Over to Bruno now.

If he cannot get a tune out of them soon, I've no doubt Fosun will get somebody in who can. They aren't going to be signing players like Collins, Nunes and Guedes and having Wolves sat in the relegation zone.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Great signings for the spine of the team and a big reduction in squad age.

Gutted about MGW going but it was too good an offer.

I know we lose Moutinho and Adama next summer but we get Giles, Bolla, Cundle and Fabio back from what I'm sure we all hope successful loans. Add Chiquinho too.

We have some serious talent in our youth teams too.

What we need now are some wins on the board.

 

[nomadwolf]

After Dawson deal pulled by Wham, might be why...

Pond linked with Deadline Day move to Wolves - Gloverscast

Just when you thought Transfer Deadline Day didn’t apply to us in the lowly National League… Just as the Summer 2022 Transfer window was ready to slam shut, yellow ties were being folded away and the Sky Sports News tickers were being ground to a halt, did news begin toContinue Reading

gloverscast.co.uk

 

[Clifton Wolf]

8.5 / 10 for me. We’ve made some sensational signings and moved a lot out, which must represent a saving on wages? Only area where I feel we are light is at CB which is definitely a concern, sign Denayer and then we are covered all over the pitch.

Ps Collins in Irish not English!

 

[Wagstaffe Was Magic]

A brilliant window, and being honest, beyond our wildest dreams at the start!!

Three pages only on this thread as opposed to the whingers opera elsewhere!!

Come on people, it’s easy to criticise but let’s have an acknowledgment of the board’s efforts for an excellent window!

 

[Narfolk Wolf]

On paper some good additions, going to be interesting to see if we've added enough goals and can cope with other teams apparent increase in intensity this season.

 

[Back o the Neto]

I don’t think it’s been a good window to be honest. Great that we kept the likes of Neves but our squad was threadbare last year and I think it’s worse now.

Ruddy out. No replacement brought in.
Coady, Boly, Marcelle, Saiss, Hoever out and Collins in
Trincao, Gibbs-White, Dendonker out, Nunes, Guedes and Traore in
Silva out and Sasa in

Few fringe players out on loan too. We’re a couple of injuries away from being a very poor bench with few options when needed.

 

[Matt]

Very pleased with the window overall, we’ve added some real quality to the first team on paper. Hopefully they can start delivering on the pitch soon.

My only concern really is squad depth at the back, which is shocking imo and we’ve had to hinder Yersons development because of it by not leaving him out. Fingers crossed for no injuries at centre back.

Traore seems like the high energy midfielder that we really do lack, so hopefully he’s as good as a lot of people seem to think he is.

 

[WalsallWolf]

We are short in defence but we would have absolutely bitten your hands off for the signings we have made. So for that, it is an A. We have also retained our best most sought after players, so therefore it is a A++++.

The lack of depth at centre backs means if anything, we are now a exclusively a four at the back club. That was the wish of what seemed to be the entire fan base.

We cannot be hypocrites, we should all be over the moon with how the transfer window has gone. Massive credit to fosun and the club.

We just need it to click now. I want it to work for Bruno desperately. He seems to be a guy with passion for the club and attacking football but it just hasn't gone his way yet and I suspect, he has a month now for it to go right.

 

[arctic rime]

Now it's being reported that business is done, here's a summary/verdict...​

Wolves transfers in​

Sasa Kalajdzic — Stuttgart, £15.4million
Matheus Nunes — Sporting Lisbon, £42million
Goncalo Guedes — Valencia, £27.5million
Nathan Collins — Burnley, £20.5million
Boubakar Traore - Metz, loan (€11m to buy)

Wolves transfers out​

Morgan Gibbs-White — Nottingham Forest, £25-42.5million
Patrick Cutrone — Como 1907, nominal
Trincao - end-of-loan
Conor Coady — Everton, loan
Fabio Silva — Anderlecht, loan
Ryan Giles — Middlesbrough, loan
John Ruddy — released
Romain Saiss — released
Marcal — released
Ki-Jana Hoever — PSV, loan
Leander Dendoncker — Aston Villa, £13million
Willy Boly - £2m~

Headlines​

1) We've lost a lot of depth for (in theory) 1st team quality upgrades/options.
2) Under Nuno, our centre-backs were generally Coady plus 2 from 3 of Boly, Dendoncker and Saiss. To move all four on in one transfer window is extraordinary.
3) We've finally spent big money on central midfield for the first time since promotion. Neves & Moutinho are still here.

Postives​

If you'd said before the summer that we'd get a quality attacking CM, keep Moutinho and Neves and sign a physical player as cover/alternative, plus get a new striker, plus a top English CB prospect, plus a goal-scoring wide forward, every single Wolves supporter would be ****-a-hoop.

Negatives​

Such massive turnover in one window and so late in the day puts massive pressure on Bruno to galvanise the squad in a very short space of time - if it takes a couple of months to get everyone up to speed a third of the season will have gone - too late!! We've also gone from being overstocked at centre-back to short of cover.

Verdict​

On paper great, in practice concluding business so late has put us miles behind where we should be.

Probably exactly the window we needed to secure the team for a the coming years if we minimise the suffering of the next couple of months / this year - patience needed but hard to give and unlikely to be given!!

Do you agree?​

The gaffer has been backed and supported big time, excellent window.

Over to you Bruno

 

[Kcb92]

We look stronger overall but still 2-3 injuries from relegation and 2-3 signings from doing something special

 

[OLDGOLD]

Some serious height in our team now and also so much more athletic and mobile

Collins
Kilman
Nunes
Traore
Sasa

Please no more short corners

Good point about the height upgrade.

 

[arctic rime]

After Dawson deal pulled by Wham, might be why...

Pond linked with Deadline Day move to Wolves - Gloverscast

Just when you thought Transfer Deadline Day didn’t apply to us in the lowly National League… Just as the Summer 2022 Transfer window was ready to slam shut, yellow ties were being folded away and the Sky Sports News tickers were being ground to a halt, did news begin toContinue Reading

gloverscast.co.uk

Did he sign?

 

[Direwolf]

Top drawer signings. A significant overhaul with top class signings to replace bit part players, those past their best and those surplus to requirements. The quality of the players signed and our best players retained sets us up well to climb the table in due course. Really think we will be much more competitive against the top six just need to convert those marginal draws into wins.

 

[Matt]

Some serious height in our team now and also so much more athletic and mobile

Collins
Kilman
Nunes
Traore
Sasa

Please no more short corners

Nunes and Traore are shorter than Dendoncker. Hopefully better at directing headers though!

 

[nomadwolf]

Can only find this so far...

Wolves See Off Tottenham Hotspur Competition To Land Teen Talent

Wolves have beaten off competition from Tottenham Hotspur for young defender Alfie Pond.

insidefutbol.com

...but Marques gone Forest Green, on loan, so replacement?

 

[Wolf316]

8/10 needed Denayer in and Hwang out for a 10.

 

[De Wolfs Mullet]

Ronan still here. Will surely be a first team squad member until at least January now?

Good point JOS. I think a lot of folk underestimate the potential of some of our reserves like Toti and Bueno.

Whilst it would be great to have cover and a bench of full internationals, it's very expensive for a club our size, which is why I guess we have a strong first XI and weaker bench. I admit it's risky as there is greater expectation on any youngsters playing to swim and not sink.

Overall I think we've done some astute business this transfer window. We've got some big salaries off the wage bill and got some decent money for MGW, Dendoncker and Boly, plus kept Neves and Mouts.

The signings of Nunes, Collins, Sasa and Traore were all what we were hoping for and hopefully will all be excellent players for us. I think with the defensive cover provided by Toti, Bueno and Mosquera, we'll actually be fine.

My only slight worry is the loss of form of Raul, and hope it's not a decline. Otherwise we need Sasa to hit the ground running and stay fit as the other striker options seem threadbare.

By the way, how do you rate the overall transfer window JOS?

 

[Achilles Last Stand]

After Dawson deal pulled by Wham, might be why...

Pond linked with Deadline Day move to Wolves - Gloverscast

Just when you thought Transfer Deadline Day didn’t apply to us in the lowly National League… Just as the Summer 2022 Transfer window was ready to slam shut, yellow ties were being folded away and the Sky Sports News tickers were being ground to a halt, did news begin toContinue Reading

gloverscast.co.uk

Alfie Pond by name, hopefully not A PondLife by nature?

 

[Banks's Mild]

Too many unknowns for me to rate the window. On paper, we have brought in some good players, but the game is not played on paper, so will reserve judgement until I've seen how they impact the team. To date, the new players that have played have been a mixed bunch. Collins seems to have settled in well and developed a rapport with Max. Guedes hasn't impacted games very much and Nunes has had moments, but again, his impact has been minimal. Early days of course, but can only comment on what's happening now, not in the future. Sasa and Traore are players I don't know and while they seem decent, let's wait and see.

The proof of whether all of the last few months has been worthwhile will come from results and being bottom of the league does not suggest that the team or squad is stronger. Better players and weaker team? The two points are not mutually exclusive as we have lost a lot of players who have played together for ages and have developed a rapport and team-bonding. A huge overhaul, like we have just seen could wreck that dynamic and we could be a lot weaker because of it. It's now Bruno's responsibility to use his squad properly and deliver results.

Only then, imo, can the transfer window be properly assessed.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts at the moment. Many seem very excited by our business, I don't follow any European football so have no idea about their quality really so hope your all right. I only judge what I see on the pitch so will reserve opinion until we've played more games with the new players in.
As others have said as well, football isn't played on paper and at the moment we are really in need of stepping up both intensity and creating clear cut chances and scoring a few goals so let's hope we can now kick on and do that sooner rather than later.

 

[Guzeppi]

Some valid arguments made regarding the strength of the window, but I think people are missing the key analysis -

Lost a big Willy

Gained a Bouby.


You're welcome.

Always an improvement where I'm concerned.

 

[JohnB]

For people talking about a complete rebuild of spine - I’d note that could only be Collins for Coady - keeper - same, CB Collins, midfield - Neves and Moutinho unclear where Nunes will be playing and CF I still expect Raul to be lead striker.

PS - love the positivity here and how it is the polar opposite the manager/verdict threads.

 

[Minimalist]

Overall a very good window,
I’d of liked to keep MGW and Donk but we knew we had to do some selling to fund the buying and I’d far rather lose all the players that have gone than just one of Neves, Neto or Killman .

If only this squad could have been assembled for pre season I’d be very excited for the season ahead, as is we need to try and understand it’s probably going to be post world cup before we see the fruit.
ps. I don’t blame club for timing, it’s the ridiculous nature of the window.

 

[Ironfistedmonk]

It's been a ****ing brilliant transfer window, maybe just a little short in defence but other than that brilliant, but I'm not buzzing my tits off at the prospect of this season as I should be cos I don't think Lage can get the best out of what is the best squad of players this club has had in my lifetime

 

[Brixton Wanderer]

Under Bruno, Kilman has been given his chance to be the main man at CH. Nuno for some reason had a downer on Kilman. As Cutrone said - Nuno had his favourites.

This is a massive transfer window for the Wolves. Some would say a massive gamble, only time will tell if the gamble has paid off.

This isn’t true. Max asked to go out on loan and Nuno wouldn’t let him.