It is safe to say that the Wolves academy hasn’t exactly been fruitful in recent times.
Unfortunately, while there has been some hype around a few players here and there, fans are yet to see a youngster properly break through to the first-team and get minutes on a regular basis.
Hugo Bueno is the only real success story, although he was brought to the club in 2019 from Spanish club Areosa.
There have been some players that have come close to making it in the first-team, including Luke Cundle and Joe Hodge.
And most recently, Mateus Mane is looking like a player who could break the mould, having shone for the Wolves U21s for a while now.
Mane has been branded a ‘special’ talent by Vitor Pereira, and hopes are high for the teenager.
But there is another young talent in the academy right now that fans need to watch out for.
Wolves gem Elvis Elendu included in Guardian Next Generation list for 2025
The Guardian have released their latest ‘Next Generation’ list, which looks at one player from each Premier League club that has exciting potential.
In recent years, the lists have alerted fans to budding young talents who are currently developing really nicely, and have good chances of playing first-team football.
And at Wolves, the player the Guardian feel fans should be looking out for is Elvis Elendu.
They say of him: ‘An aggressive, rangy centre-back, signed from Cambridge United in the summer of 2024, Elendu is considered something of a dying breed: a defender who also relishes duels and the physical side of the game.’
Furthermore, ‘Wolves regard him as a youngster with elite traits, an excellent reader of the game who uses his athleticism and speed to smell danger’.
The club are said to be ‘enthused by his development’, and plan to review his progress at Christmas.
Elendu one to watch after signing first professional contract at Wolves
Young players that appear on the Next Generation list are always worth looking out for, and Elendu could well be making his first-team bow at Wolves in the coming years.
He signed for the club from Cambridge United’s academy in the summer 2024 as an U16, and has really impressed with the U18s, making 16 appearances in the U18 Premier League.
He and a couple of other youngsters recently signed their first professional deals at Wolves, and last month Jon Hunter-Barrett – who has emerged as a target for Rangers recently – said of Elendu: “Elvis is a strong and aggressive centre-back who thrives on the defensive side of the game. He relishes physical battles, reads the game well, and has consistently excelled at this level.”
“I’m really excited for all three players and look forward to continuing their development.”