Wolves’ recruitment in the summer is now being strongly questioned by fans – and one player the club were linked with has made an outstanding start to the 2025/26 season.
One of the longest-running transfer sagas of the summer was the situation with Nelson Semedo.
Semedo was out of contract at the end of last term, and was then offered a four-year deal to stick around.
That contract offer was on the table for weeks, even though Wolves apparently knew it would be unlikely that he would sign it.
Sure enough, Semedo did eventually confirm he was moving on. He is now with Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Wolves ended up signing Jackson Tchatchoua, who was not the club’s first-choice signing. At the moment, the jury is still very much out on the Cameroon international.
But before the arrival of Tchatchoua, there was speculation that Wolves were interested in Trai Hume of Sunderland – and he is starting to look like a player that got away for Wolves.
Trai Hume shining with Sunderland after Wolves transfer links
Northern Ireland international Hume had plenty of buzz around him in the summer following a terrific 2024/25 season in the Championship.
Hume was practically ever-present, making 44 appearances, chipping in with three goals and making six assists. He was subsequently named both Supporters’ and Players’ Player of the Season at Sunderland for his efforts.
This term, Hume has continued to impress in the Premier League.
Before game with Wolves on Saturday, Hume was reported to be excelling in several defensive metrics, including:
- Top 7% for aerial duels won
- 93rd percentile for fouls committed, 0.23 fouls per 90 minutes
And of course, we have also seen him be creative. He was the man who supplied the pass on Saturday for Mukiele to break the deadlock against Wolves.
And over the international break, Hume also got on the scoresheet for Northern Ireland for the very first time, bagging against Slovakia in a 2-0 win.
Why Wolves didn’t sign Hume
So Hume is thriving in the Premier League, having stayed put with Sunderland.
While interest in the player from Wolves was reported by a few outlets, there was seemingly no desire from Hume to make a move elsewhere, knowing he’s been playing Premier League football with Sunderland.
Hume said of his future in early June: “I’ve said it ever since I moved to Sunderland, I really love my football here.
“I love playing. I love the club, I’m happy where I’m at, if anything happens it’s from the club. I love playing for Sunderland so I’m happy being there.”
| Train Hume WhoScored rating so far | Jackson Tchatchoua WhoScored rating so far |
| 6.97 | 6.34 |
Having not received the green light to push, Wolves then turned their attention to other targets amid the uncertainty over Semedo.
Marc Pubill was the main target before Atletico Madrid hijacked the move, and eventually Tchatchoua signed from Hellas Verona.
Hume has had a considerably better start to the new season than Tchatchoua, who Wolves officials will be desperately hoping to come good.