A whirlwind of a January transfer window ended on a high note for Wolves as the pieces of Vitor Pereira’s puzzle fell into place.
Matheus Cunha signed a new contract at Wolves, which will keep him at Molineux till the summer at least, while two deadline-day transfers were secured in the shape of Marshall Munetsi and Nasser Djiga.
Despite some shrewd last-minute business, it’s impossible to ignore the club’s previous blunders in the transfer market.
The most notable of those in recent times was Jeff Shi failing to secure the Viktor Gyokeres transfer to Wolves as he wasn’t in the country to finalize the deal.
Gyokeres has since transformed into one of the planet’s most devastating goal machines with 77 goals in 84 appearances for Sporting Lisbon, including six in seven Champions League appearances this term.
Missing out on the Swedish talisman isn’t the only time Fosun have made a huge blunder, with one other 2023 target making Wolves regret not signing him.
Wolves could have signed Mateo Retegui for £13m, now Arsenal want him
Wolves experienced FFP issues during the 2023 summer transfer window. The club were forced into selling Matheus Nunes and Ruben Neves for an almost combined £100m.
Unfortunately, fears of breaching the Premier League’s spending rules meant they were limited to what they could spend, with Julen Lopetegui walking out of Wolves as a result.
Frustratingly, not being able to flex their financial muscles meant the Old Gold missed out on numerous players, including ‘world-class’ striker Mateo Retegui.
Wolves could have signed Retegui for £13m but Fabrizio Romano suggested at the time that FFP issues made doing a deal ‘impossible’.
The Italian hitman instead completed a transfer to Genoa, scoring nine goals in 31 appearances there before sealing a £23m move to Champions League outfit Atalanta last summer.
Retegui has since emerged as one of the best strikers in Europe after plundering an incredible 20 goals in just 22 Serie A matches this term, including four goals in one game against Hellas Verona on Saturday, February 8th.
As such, the Atalanta goal machine has attracted interest from some European giants, one of which is Arsenal who could trigger his £50 million asking price.
How Retegui compares to Jorgen Strand Larsen
Now 25-years-old, the Italian international experiencing a true breakthrough campaign in the Serie A will make Wolves regret not being able to snap him up for £13m.
Luckily, all is not lost in the striker department, as alongside the brilliance of Cunha, Wolves have unearthed a gem in Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Strand Larsen was signed on a loan deal from Celta Vigo in the summer but the Norwegian has since triggered conditions in his contract that will turn his move permanent in a few months.
The 25-year-old has instantly adapted to the Premier League, and although he isn’t firing in goals at the rate of Retegui, he has still impressed.
| 2024/25 statistics | Jorgen Strand Larsen | Mateo Retegui |
| Games | 23 | 33 |
| Goals | 7 | 23 |
| Assists | 2 | 4 |
| Goal conversion | 20% | 31% |
| Minutes per goal & assist | 194 minutes | 71 minutes |
Strand Larsen is currently out injured and has been since the defeat to Arsenal in January, but Pereira is hopeful of his return soon and that is a big boost to Wolves.