Wolves have cashed in on a lot of players in recent years, but the club may now be having some regrets over one player who just cannot find form at Molineux.
There has been criticism of Wolves for their transfer MO, with fans having grown frustrated in recent times over how many key players have been moved on.
The reality is though, it was inevitable that some of these players would leave.
As annoying as it is to see top stars leave, clubs like Wolves are at the mercy of the big boys and their financial clout – and Fosun will cash in when they see fit.
But in 2024, Wolves recruitment officials decided against selling one player – and there may now be some regrets about that decision.
Wolves may be regretting rejecting 2024 Marseille bid for Hwang Hee-chan
Hwang Hee-chan joined Wolves back in 2021, initially on loan from RB Leipzig.
The South Korean was a pretty instant hit at Molineux, scoring four goals in his first six Premier League games for the club.
Midway through that season, Wolves communicated to fans that Hwang’s loan move would be turned permanent that following summer.
In 2022/23, Hwang returned four goals and three assists in 32 appearances for Wolves across all competitions.
Then, Hwang had his best season yet for Wolves. Under Gary O’Neil, and playing in a front line with Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto, Hwang scored 13 goals and made three assists in 31 appearances.
Following that season, Wolves received a transfer offer from Marseille worth £21 million to sell Hwang.
The club rejected this offer – and that now looks a questionable move. Since the start of the 2024/25 season, Hwang has scored just three times in a Wolves shirt in 32 appearances.
Unfortunately, Hwang has often left a lot to be desired with his performances since Wolves decided to keep hold of him – and to make things worse he has also continued to have some injury problems.
So far this season, Hwang ranks just 16th in Wolves’ squad (of 23 players) on WhoScored for average match rating, and he has come in for criticism from some fans for lacking impact.
Wolves unlikely to receive £21m bid again for Hwang
It is perhaps easy to say with hindsight that Wolves should have sold Hwang when that £21 million bid from Marseille came in.
But the decision to keep hold of the player has, sadly, really not worked out.
Unfortunately, as hard as Hwang always works when he takes to the pitch for Wolves, the influence in front of goal just is not there, and has not been there for some time.
Against Spurs on Saturday, his struggles were notable again, and he was arguably Wolves’ worst performer in north London.
Just three goals and one assist for Hwang since the start of last season, after a campaign of scoring 13 and supplying three assists, is a very disappointing drop-off.
We’ve seen glimpses of what Hwang can do. He recently took his only goal of this season against Everton really well. But sadly, those moments are rare for the 29-year-old, who lacks consistency.
Wolves are now in a position whereby they are highly unlikely to receive a £21 million offer for Hwang – who had interest from Crystal Palace and others in the last window – in 2026, if there would be any desire from the club to move him on.
In an era where clubs have to be so mindful of PSR, it is absolutely vital to sell players at the right time and extract maximum value.
And with Hwang, Wolves look to have missed the mark.