It has been a solid start to the new season for Hugo Bueno – and Wolves appear to have landed on their feet after selling Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Hugo Bueno returned to Wolves in the summer, after spending the 2024/25 season on loan at Feyenoord.
In the season before, Bueno had played second fiddle to Ait-Nouri, with Gary O’Neil playing the Algerian in the vast majority of games.
It was therefore decided that Bueno should head elsewhere to get minutes under his belt.
And he did that, making 30 appearances for the Dutch giants.
It was reported Bueno was then desperate to return to Wolves and become a regular. But that was thrown into some doubt when Wolves signed David Moller Wolfe.
But so far, Bueno has really impressed – and he’s actually beating Ait-Nouri in one key metric so far
Hugo Bueno has been more creative than Rayan Ait-Nouri this season
Bueno’s start to the new season has been a pleasant surprise.
With the signing of Moller Wolfe, fans did not really expect him to be as involved as he has been.
But he has responded extremely well to that potential setback and so far, is second only to Emmanuel Agbadou for minutes played this season.
That just shows he has gained the trust of Vitor Pereira. By contrast, Moller Wolfe is one of the least used Wolves players so far, playing just 132 minutes – only Ki-Jana Hoever, who’s had injury problems – has played fewer.
And seemingly one reason why Bueno has been so involved is that he has proven himself to be a real creative outlet.
While Bueno is yet to actually register an assist this season, fbref data shows he has a SCA per 90 (shot-creating actions per 90) of 2.73.
This is considerably higher than what Ait-Nouri has managed for Manchester City. In his three appearances so far, he has an SCA per 90 of 1.78.
Bueno looks a worthy successor to Ait-Nouri for Wolves
Moller Wolfe had been touted as the replacement for Ait-Nouri, but it’s looking like Bueno is the more natural successor.
There is a case to be made that he has been Wolves’ best performer so far this season.
Bueno is so positive when he plays, and is always looking to swing that ball into the box to try and take advantage of the aerial prowess of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Tolu Arokodare.
He has also shown great versatility, having played as a left-back in a back four, a wing-back in a back five and he has even operated as an inverted wing-back, playing on the right side.
Bueno is also emerging as an unlikely leader at Wolves, having ended the game against Spurs as captain. So that’s a further suggestion he will be counted on a lot this season.
Ait-Nouri will still prove to be a huge loss this season for Wolves. He is undoubtedly a brilliant player, capable of providing game-changing moments with his technical quality.
But Bueno is showing early doors that he can also make things happen for Wolves and given the general lack of creativity, he stands to be a key player.