Wolves’ 4-1 triumph over Brentford all but justified the club selling defender Nathan Collins after just a season in the West Midlands.
Wolves sold the Republic of Ireland centre-back for £23 million in the summer to Brentford despite being a regular first-teamer last season.
Collins had joined Wolves from Burnley in the summer of 2022 for £20.5 million but the club decided to cash out for a profit 12 months later.
It was a controversial decision as the West Midlands side had few centre-backs at the time until Santigo Bueno came in towards the end of the transfer window.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs also expressed his desire to keep the 22-year-old but explained that former manager Julen Lopetegui didn’t see him in his plans. Collins himself also didn’t want to leave Wolves, as he explained after the transfer window closed.
Wolves and Collins finally came up against each other for the first time since the move on Wednesday night. The visitors would end up cruising to a massive victory in the capital with the centre-back the star of the show for all the wrong reasons.
Nathan Collins had a mare in Brentford v Wolves
Starting for Brentford, Collins had a horrid game. The defender made two massive mistakes that directly led to Wolves goals.
The first came early on. The defender attempted to pass the ball back to his ‘keeper from kickoff but didn’t put enough weight on the pass. Hwang Hee-Chan then quickly intercepted the ball which allowed Wolves to score an immediate second goal.
Later on in the game at 3-1, Brentford were pushing hard for a goal that would bring them back into the tie. However, Collins once again gave the ball away this time playing a dreadful pass to Matheus Cunha who gifted it to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to slot home for Wolves’ fourth.
The two mistakes ultimately cost Brentford and prevented them from getting anything from the game.
This isn’t the first time Collins has made an error leading to a goal either with his total now up to three according to the Premier League, the second-highest in the division.
In comparison, only one Wolves player has made an error leading to a goal all season. Jose Sa is the only player to make such a mistake with no Wolves defender making the list.
Toti Gomes continues to shine for Wolves
Since Collins’ departure, the hole left in the squad has given Toti Gomes the perfect chance to secure a permanent place in the starting lineup.
The defender had been mainly used as a squad player up until this season but has now become one of the first names on the team sheet.
His performances in recent weeks have also been fantastic and the defender is really repaying Gary O’Neil’s trust.
The Portuguese international also picked up an assist against Brentford as his headed clearance was met by Hwang who buried the ball for Wolves’ third.
Hopefully, the defender can keep up this form and start turning it into clean sheets in the near future.