Wolves struck gold with ‘unbelievable’ Bruno Lage signing who is outperforming Pedro Neto

Wolves have captured some amazing talents over the years who have gone on to achieve greatness at Molineux or elsewhere.

The Wanderers were most successful when super agent Jorge Mendes was behind their transfers, as he helped lure many talented Portuguese players to the club.

Ruben Neves was the pick of the bunch but there were also Joao Moutinho, Diogo Jota and Rui Patricio, to name a few, who all enjoyed successful periods at Molineux.

During this period, Nuno Espirito Santo helped guide Wolves to consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Premier League and European football.

But it wasn’t just the Portuguese players who struck gold, as the signing of one gem under Santo’s successor, Bruno Lage is still thriving in Wolverhampton today.

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Wolves struck gold with the £10 million signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri

Wolves captured wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri on loan for the 2020/21 campaign and after flourishing in the Premier League, Lage signed the Algerian permanently for £10 million in 2021.

Ait-Nouri was one of nine players signed during that summer, including goalkeeper Jose Sa and attacker Hwang Hee-chan, but the defender is inarguably the most successful name on that list.

The 23-year-old has proven so in the seasons that have followed, recording 10 goals and 10 assists in 128 appearances for Wolves, predominantly from a left wing-back role.

Most of those involvements have come since Gary O’Neil arrived at the club in August 2023. Indeed, for all of his faults, he’s improved the fortunes of several players, including the Algerian international.

Since signing for £10 million just over three years ago, his stock and value have risen significantly, with Wolves wanting at least over £30 million for Ait-Nouri.

Ait-Nouri has even attracted interest from Chelsea and Liverpool after his brilliant start to the season.

Ait-Nouri is outperforming Chelsea’s Pedro Neto

Wolves sold one of their prized possessions in the summer, as Chelsea swooped to sign Pedro Neto.

The 24-year-old was a player who looked destined to make a big money move for a while, and he finally got his move to a Champions League-chasing side.

The electric winger has since made a decent start to life at Stamford Bridge, with Neto firing in a stunning equaliser against Arsenal last weekend.

However, the statistics suggest that the ‘unbelievable’ Ait-Nouri has outperformed the Chelsea winger in terms of goals and assists, although admittedly some of his appearances have come off the bench.

Of course, Neto has played far fewer minutes this term so far but it’s still impressive that the Wolves man has five goal involvements in 11 appearances, and long may it continue.