Wolves are in desperate need of a new right wing-back to replace Nelson Semedo, and Ki-Jana Hoever has emerged as an option.
Semedo finally confirmed his Wolves exit on Wednesday with a social media post after it was widely accepted he was going to leave Molineux.
The 31-year-old was an excellent servant to Wolves during his five-year tenure, and last season, he stepped up to take on the captaincy.
Unfortunately, since knowing the Portuguese defender was on his way out, the Old Gold have stalled in their quest to find a replacement, seeing a transfer for Marc Pubill break down and other targets move elsewhere.
Their woes in the window have opened up the door for Ki-Jana Hoever to grab the starting jersey after impressing in pre-season.
Ki-Jana Hoever is likely to stay at Wolves
Hoever has been the preferred option at right wing-back following the departure of Semedo, starting ahead of Rodrigo Gomes.
Although Wolves have endured a difficult pre-season, failing to win any of their four matches, the 23-year-old has produced some decent performances following his loan to Auxerre in 2024/25.
At the start of the summer, Hoever was fully expected to leave Molineux, as he wasn’t seen as a genuine option in the wing-back role.
But as Vitor Pereira is short on depth in that position, the Dutchman has played a prominent role and transfer expert Graeme Bailey thinks he could now stay.
“I don’t see him leaving, he’s a good player, talented, young, they don’t need to move him on,” Bailey told Molineux News.
“Same with Rodrigo Gomes, both good young players battling for places. Two players who could possibly fill that right-wing-back role. Hoever is a good player, I don’t think they’re in a hurry to move him on whatsoever.”
While Hoever has shown some promise, he isn’t the long-term solution to their problems, with Wolves needing to sign a quality replacement for Semedo, and fast.
- READ MORE: Wolves transfer claim may suggest Vitor Pereira is now ready to keep ‘excellent’ £14m player
Wolves risk another relegation battle
Worryingly, after losing a raft of first-team players, Wolves have only brought two through the door in the shape of Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias.
Considering the Premier League starts in almost two weeks, Pereira still has a lot of work to do before his squad is ready to compete, arguably needing at least four more players.
Wolves haven’t replaced Rayan Ait-Nouri down the left or Semedo down the right. Meanwhile, their lack of depth in midfield is alarming following the exits of Boubacar Traore and Tommy Doyle.
In their defeat to RC Lens on Wednesday, they ended the match with Tawanda Chirewa and Marshall Munetsi as their two midfielders, a strategy they can ill afford to risk once the campaign starts.
Any injury to Joao Gomes or Andre would leave them dangerously short in the engine room, and the same goes if striker Jorgen Strand Larsen ever suffers an injury.
As it stands, the Wolves squad from last season has decreased in quality, and unless they bring in quality reinforcements in the coming weeks, a relegation battle is on the cards.