Nuno Espirito Santo was an influential figure at Wolves, having a hand on the transfer front as well as managing things on the pitch.
The Portuguese coach is now thriving at Nottingham Forest, on course to lead the Tricky Trees to the Champions League.
It’s a blow for Wolves, who arguably let the former manager depart too quickly after the challenging 2020/21 campaign that was disrupted by COVID-19.
Conor Coady urged Wolves not to let Nuno leave the club but, the decision was made amicably in the summer of 2021.
Nuno brought some glory days to Molineux, achieving promotion and taking Wolves to the Europa League however, it wasn’t all rosy behind the scenes.
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Nuno Espirito Santo didn’t want Wolves to sign Hwang Hee-chan
Three months after Nuno’s exit, the Telegraph published a report piecing together the breakdown between the former manager and Wolves.
One part of the article was particularly interesting looking back, as one of the ex-coach’s transfer preferences involved one player who is currently in the Wolves squad today.
When dissecting Nuno’s influence on the transfer front, the discussions leading up to Hwang Hee-chan’s arrival were documented.
It was revealed that while Hwang was ‘frequently scouted’ by Wolves at RB Leipzig, Nuno ‘called’ the transfer off.
Hwang’s transfer to Wolves was ‘signed off by the board’ until Nuno made his wishes clear, which makes for interesting reading now.
The Old Gold completed the transfer of the South Korean in the August after Nuno’s departure, signing the forward on an initial loan from Leipzig.
It’s fascinating to learn what the old manager thought about the transfer, as Wolves fans have had enough of Hwang due to a series of poor performances this season.
Hwang’s Wolves career has been disrupted by injury
Not many would’ve anticipated the Korean’s downfall at Molineux after his electrifying start to the 2023/24 campaign.
Last season, the 29-year-old secured 13 goal contributions before the turn of the year in the Premier League but, his form quickly fizzled out in 2024.
| Premier League | Before Asian Cup (January 2024) | Since Asian Cup |
| Goals | 10 | 4 |
| Assists | 3 | 0 |
The Asian Cup derailed Hwang’s chances of ending the season strongly for Wolves, with his poor form trickling into this campaign to the frustration of many.
Vitor Pereira has acknowledged Hwang’s struggles and is hoping to get the forward up and running again, but further injuries and poor form have become an expected hindrance.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for the versatile attacker, who was linked with a transfer exit in both the summer and January transfer windows.