Wolves have seen an abundance of talent come and go through the doors at Compton Park, experiencing some devastating losses.
It’s been a whirlwind of a season so far for Wolves, who started the campaign with Gary O’Neil at the helm before hiring Vitor Pereira.
The Old Gold haven’t looked back since hiring Pereira, who made a record-breaking start to his Wolves career, something very few managers have managed to do.
Over the years, both managers and players have been remembered for positive and negative reasons, with one former Wolf currently making waves away from Molineux.
Former Wolves loanee Francisco Trincao is outperforming Matheus Cunha
One player who is thriving far from the West Midlands is former loanee Francisco Trincao, who represents Sporting CP in Portugal’s top flight.
The winger is flying in his homeland, playing in the Champions League as well as being a crucial part of Sporting’s squad.
Trincao represented Wolves on loan during the 2021/22 season, signing from Barcelona with the intent to impress those in England.
While the winger did impress to some degree, the decision was made to end his stay at Molineux, as Wolves made the call to pay to not sign Trincao permanently.
Now, the 25-year-old is shining abroad, outperforming Wolves star Matheus Cunha in front of goal this season, recording 18 goal contributions to the Brazilian’s 14.
Wolves would have been alerted to what their former player is doing in Portugal, with other Premier League clubs also on alert as Trincao was linked to Manchester United.
Trincao represented the Old Gold under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Bruno Lage, with the latter now having an opposing opinion on the player he rejected at Molineux.
Bruno Lage reflects on Wolves career with Trincao praise
Lage allowed Trincao to return to Barcelona following his loan at Wolves and is now watching the player’s career reach new heights in Portugal.
The former Wolves manager commented on Trincao recently, as Benfica and Sporting met in the Taca da Liga final, prompting Lage to assess his ex-player at Molineux.
“I have a huge affection for Trincao, he was my player at Wolverhampton, he was the first signing I made at Wolverhampton, we always had a very good relationship,” Lage told the media, via O Jogo.
Lage went on to commend how Trincao has elevated his game, saying that he’s ‘never seen’ the winger ‘like this’.
“In addition to being a kid with great quality as a player, he is a man who is very easy to joke around with, it is always a tremendous atmosphere, I have never seen him like this, he almost always played for us, he always helped us at Wolverhampton.
“I saw Trincao, I gave him a hug, I am very proud of him for having grown so much, for having the career he is having, he is a very good player.”
For both figures who are now comfortable in Portugal, a case of what could have been at Wolves is evident, with both Lage and Trincao failing their Molineux auditions.