Wolves have an abundance of talent in their academy; however, it’s become a rarity to see youngsters graduate in the West Midlands.
The priority at Wolves right now is to ensure Premier League survival, but Vitor Pereira already has his eye on the future.
One area that the manager is looking to improve is the rate of talent coming from Wolves’ academy into the first team, with work ongoing to complete the task.
Every week, Pereira analyses Wolves’ academy players in search of the next big thing to come out of the West Midlands, a topic that has gone stale since Morgan Gibbs-White’s graduation.
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The Nottingham Forest star is a product of the Old Gold’s academy, and while there’s no love lost between Gibbs-White and Wolves, the midfielder’s rise symbolises where hard work can get a player.
Wolves’ academy has been a topic of discussion as the end of the 2024/25 campaign is in sight, with The Athletic compiling a piece on the state of the budding talents at the club.
Journalist Steve Madeley referred to Gibbs-White being the last success to come from the academy, something that Periera is eager to change.
Within the report, Madeley revealed that as many as ten academy players are currently impressing at Compton Park.
Leon Chiwome, Nathan Fraser, Josh Gracey, Saheed Olagunju, Seb Lochhead, Alfie White, Myles Dayman, Luke Rawlings, Mateus Mane, and Wes Okoduwa are the players ‘catching the eye of coaches’ at Wolves and also ‘opposition scouts’.
It’s understood that ‘voices around academy football’ speak highly of the players, carrying the hope that they could ‘carve out professional careers’.
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Chance for young players to impress Vitor Pereira
Pereira has already spoken highly of Mateus Mane, who earned an England U18 call-up over the March international break.
Mane is one of several talents making waves at Compton, which is good news for Wolves, who need to improve their academy success.
Given that Pereira is already vetting some of Wolves’ budding talents, the hunt for the Old Gold’s next big thing is underway, something that will only benefit the club.
Aside from bolstering the team, academy graduates bring great significance on the transfer front, delivering pure profit at the point of exit and, on the other hand, having the potential to save the club millions on talent from elsewhere.
Pereira’s mission could both save and hand Wolves millions of pounds, pumping funds and promise back into the academy.