Wolves ‘flop’ signed by Nuno Santo is now flying in Italy, he’s got more goals than Romelu Lukaku

Wolves enjoyed their fair share of success with transfers during the Nuno Espirito Santo era at Molineux but there were also some blunders.

With Wolves currently sat rock bottom of the Premier League under Gary O’Neil, perhaps some supporters are reminiscing over times when the Old Gold qualified for the Europa League on two occasions.

Behind the Wanderers’ resurgence towards Europe was the current Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito, who brought some incredible players to Molineux with the help of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Wolves captured several talents who would go on to become club icons, including Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota.

However, for all of the success stories in gold, there were also some transfer blunders and one name that springs to mind is Patrick Cutrone.

• READ MORE: Wolves told they’ve just made a decision that’s ‘a little bit sad’

Patrick Cutrone is one of the biggest flops in Wolves history

Wolves shelled out a whopping £23 million in the summer of 2019 to sign highly-rated AC Milan striker Cutrone.

Many felt that the Wanderers had captured one of the most promising young talents from Italy, with Gennaro Gattuso – Milan’s manager at the time – comparing him to Italian icon Filippo Inzaghi after his brace against SPAL in February 2018.

Sadly, Cutrone didn’t live up to the hype surrounding his name when he made the switch to England’s top flight, scoring just three goals in 28 appearances.

Cutrone, now aged 26, only spent two seasons in Wolverhampton and was loaned out on multiple occasions, first to Fiorentina in 2019/20 and 2020/21 before embarking on temporary spells at Valencia and Empoli.

Dubbed a ‘flop’ by many since joining Italian side Como for £16 million in the summer of 2022, the Italian striker has since resurrected his career under the guidance of Cesc Fabregas.

• READ MORE: Wolves’ most expensive transfers of all time

Patrick Cutrone is outscoring Romelu Lukaku in Serie A this season

Since leaving Wolves just over two years ago, Cutrone has found a new lease of life after returning to Italy, becoming the lethal striker Santo thought he bought.

Last season, Cutrone fired Como to promotion out of Serie B with 14 goals in 32 matches and he’s since translated that rich vein of form across to the highest level in Italy.

The newly-promoted Como – who Wolves played in pre-season – have started with eight points from seven matches and their goal machine has plundered four goals.

Remarkably, the former Valencia forward is outscoring some huge names in Serie A, namely Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Rafael Leao.

While Cutrone is currently flying in the Italian league, selling him was never a mistake, as he truly never lived up to the hype at Wolves.