Wolves have tied down youngster Leon Chiwome to a new long-term contract and sporting director Matt Hobbs has shared his verdict on the teenager.
Leon Chiwome benefitted from Wolves having a depleted senior squad last term alongside fellow academy graduate Nathan Fraser.
During a period when Pedro Neto, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan were all injured, Gary O’Neil had to turn to youngsters to lead the line.
Chiwome was handed his Premier League debut against Aston Villa in a 2-0 loss before starting in a draw against Burnley and coming off the bench in a 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
The 18-year-old earned a real taste of what it’s like coming up against Premier League-level defenders, and although he struggled with the physicality, the teenager looked the part technically.
A current England under-18 international, Wolves see Chiwome as a long-term part of their future and have now given him a new four-year contract at the club.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs spoke of his delight following the news and has now pinpointed the next steps for Chiwome.
Matt Hobbs hints at sending Leon Chiwome out on loan
An important step in the development of any young player is to be sent out on loan and in the case of Chiwome, that could be beneficial.
The Brighton-born striker won’t learn much from playing against people his age in the under-21’s and Hobbs has hinted at the possibility of sending him out on loan.
Speaking about the possibility of a loan move, Hobbs told Wolves’ official website: “We don’t ever nail our colours to any particular mast when it comes to the future, but he’s still only a first-year pro so the plan is for him to stick around and train with the first-team and then play with the under-21s.
“But you never know, sometimes loan opportunities come out of nowhere and the opportunity to go and play men’s football may be a really good part of his journey and his football education.
“At the moment, the plan is for him to stay with us, develop under Gary, his staff and James with the 21s, but while the window is open, there are other possibilities.”
Wolves should send Leon Chiwome out on loan
Dubbed an “exciting prospect” by Hobbs, the talented young striker could benefit from experiencing senior football elsewhere.
It’s highly unlikely he’ll get minutes in the first-team at Wolves with O’Neil looking to invest in a couple of new forwards.
In the youth setup Chiwome won’t learn much about his character or ability however, a loan to a League One or League Two side would teach him more about the physical demands of professional football, while also learning invaluable lessons from experienced professionals.
Wolves have shown their faith in the 2006-born forward, who was signed from AFC Wimbledon in the summer of 2022 and now it could be time for him to head out on loan.