Wolves fans are still waiting for official confirmation that Nelson Semedo won’t return to the club – but a replacement seems to be emerging from relative obscurity.
Nelson Semedo is a free agent now, after his contract at Wolves expired at the end of June.
However, Wolves have still not officially acknowledged the player’s departure.
This is likely because Semedo still had an offer on the table from Wolves to extend, and seemingly the player has still been deciding what to do.
But Pereira recently stated Wolves were looking at replacements for Semedo.
Marc Pubill had been the main choice for Wolves, but Atletico Madrid’s hijack of the deal emphatically ended the club’s hopes.
But there’s one player on the books already at Molineux who really looks like he could actually be Semedo’s replacement.
Ki-Jana Hoever takes chance at Stoke
After the Pubill debacle, this game against Stoke was huge for Hoever.
Hoever impressed fans with his assists for Jorgen Strand Larsen against Burnley during Wolves’ training camp in Portugal.
But against Stoke, he had the chance to really put down a marker, and he did just that.
Fans picked out Ki-Jana Hoever as one of Wolves’ best players during what was a pretty uninspiring team performance.
And in the E&S match report, Liam Keen said of the Dutchman: “The only real bright spark from the first half came down Wolves’ right as Fer Lopez and Ki-Jana Hoever linked up.
“Hoever’s future remains a talking point but he’s taking full advantage of the chances given to him in pre-season so far.”
Ki-Jana Hoever says he is ‘ready’ to play for Wolves and praises Vitor Pereira
Hoever is now being spoken about as a genuine replacement for Semedo.
He’s had a few loan spells away from Wolves, as he could not displace Semedo beforehand.
But with the Portuguese now out of the picture, Hoever finally has a chance to play in Wolves’ starting XI.
The club are, of course, still looking for new players to come in. But Hoever might just be giving Vitor Pereira something to think about – and playing for Wolves regularly is something he’s keen for.
He said in an interview with the club after the 1-1 draw with Stoke City: “I really love to work with him and with the staff. They just want to help me become a better player. I hope I can be important for them as well, for the club. I obviously know I’ve been away for some years, but for me it’s a big opportunity.
“I feel like when I came here when I was 18 years old, it was a long time ago. I was still really young, and I’ve developed a lot as a person, as a player, becoming an adult, and I feel like I’m ready, and hopefully I can show the staff, the Gaffer, but also the fans, the club.”
Clearly, Hoever likes working under Pereira and the star’s versatility could encourage the manager to keep him around.