Carlos Forbs’ loan move to Wolves was pretty terrible – but the winger is absolutely thriving since leaving Molineux.
The winger spent last season with the Old Gold and was supposed to be the man who would make fans forget all about Pedro Neto, who had been sold to Chelsea.
Forbs was an exciting capture by Wolves.
Although he had struggled a bit at Ajax, fans knew that he really ripped defences apart in the Manchester City academy, and felt hopeful that he’d thrive being back on English soil.
Sadly, Forbs couldn’t really get a look in at Wolves under Gary O’Neil or Vitor Pereira.
Pereira admitted Forbs just didn’t suit Wolves’ system, which used wing-backs and two number 10s at the time.
So it came as no surprise when Wolves announced Forbs would be heading back to Ajax after his loan, and that there would be no permanent move.
It was a disappointing period for Forbs, but the winger is now in a significantly better position and last night he enjoyed a special career moment.
Carlos Forbs rewarded for impressive start to 2025/26 with senior Portugal debut
2025/26 has been very productive so far for Forbs.
The 21-year-old joined Club Brugge in the summer, and up to now he has been a regular for the Belgian side, making 20 appearances, scoring five goals and making five assists.
Forbs recently made headlines for scoring twice against Barcelona in the Champions League in a pulsating 3-3 draw.
His fine performances led to a call-up by Roberto Martinez to the senior Portugal squad for the first time.
He didn’t feature in the game against Ireland a few days ago, but last night Martinez handed him his debut against Armenia.
Forbs entered the action in the 58th minute, with the game 6-1 to Portugal.
It was no doubt a proud moment for Forbs, who was also sporting the number seven jersey in the absence of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, which surely made the moment even better.
Forbs had 19 touches, and completed 12/15 passes (80% accuracy), as Portugal ran out 9-1 winners in the end.
Wolves may have regrets over Forbs
Wolves fans will not thank Pereira for what is now happening with Forbs.
Ultimately, Pereira wouldn’t use Forbs because he felt he didn’t suit his system. It wasn’t a slight on his ability, it was simply a case of the profile not stacking up with what he felt was the best system to use. And Pereira, to be fair, initially had great success with using wing-backs on two number 10s.
Forbs recently admitted he lost his smile at Wolves, and it certainly had to have been tough watching on from the bench so much and sometimes not even making the squad at all.
Carlos Forbs had a miserable loan spell at Wolves
Ironically, Wolves have dabbled with a system that would totally suit Forbs this season, so the fact he’s thriving elsewhere is frustrating.
Obviously, we’ve seen players leave Wolves and thrive before. Vitinha is probably the standout example, with the midfielder now one of the best players in the world.
It’s still very early days for Forbs. But there will surely be plenty of Wolves fans who are already slightly worried a similar situation could unfold.