Rayan Ait-Nouri left Wolves early in the summer, and there was some frustration about the fee he joined Manchester City for.
The Algerian departed after four seasons at the club, having gone from prospect to one of the best in his position in the Premier League.
Rayan Ait-Nouri gave Wolves fans some great times.
He was exhilarating to watch at times with his fancy footwork and wonderful technical ability, and the general feeling when he left was one of sadness.
He was a maverick, an entertainer, and the kind of player you pay good money to watch play.
Manchester City were the grateful recipients of Ait-Nouri this summer after paying Wolves £36 million (via Sky Sports) – and chairman Jeff Shi has now shared his honest thoughts on that sale.
Jeff Shi says Wolves got a good deal from Manchester City for Rayan Ait-Nouri
Fans were very disgruntled when Ait-Nouri joined City for around £36 million.
Many felt that Ait-Nouri had proven himself in the Premier League for a number of years and still had potential to develop into a world-class player.
It was suggested that Wolves had sold him for below his market value.
Former goalkeeper Ben Foster said previously that Wolves should have demanded £50 million for Ait-Nouri.
But Jeff Shi insists Wolves got fair value at £36 million.
He said: “I think for Rayan, of course we signed him five years ago. I remember he was a very young boy and not playing too much, and then after two, three, four and five years he became a very good player in the league.
“First I want to say we are very happy about his growth and development.
“For him leaving, I think if we talk about the price, I think it’s the right price. Because he had two years left. He told us very clearly, maybe it’s the time for him to move on. He was happy to stay, he said if the club wanted him to stay he would stay, but he would not sign a new contract.
“Then we checked the market, we checked the player’s intention, what we should do for the club, and I spoke with Vitor to see if maybe it was the right choice to let him go in the moment.
“Of course, the price in the market depends on how many clubs came in for him, his position, the benchmarks in the market, his age and how many years left on his contract. This kind of objective benchmarking information will decide, eventually, the value in the market.”
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Wolves could have got more for Ait-Nouri
With Ait-Nouri telling Wolves he wouldn’t extend his contract, his exit was always going to be likely.
But it still feels like Wolves could have got more than £36 million.
Milos Kerkez went to Liverpool for £40 million, and Ait-Nouri is at least as good.
Since Ait-Nouri wasn’t going to agitate to leave, Wolves might have stood a tad firmer to try and get City to pay at least a few million more.
It was reported that Wolves felt they might have got slightly more money for Ait-Nouri in hindsight, and the comments of Shi will do little to make fans feel better about the situation.
Had Wolves managed to secure a few more million pounds, then perhaps this would have aided the club in their search for a new midfielder at the end of the window.