Time is of the essence now for Wolves with the new Premier League season just a few weeks ago – and the club still need several new faces.
It has been a summer of frustration so far, with just two signings being made against a plethora of exits.
The current feeling for a lot of Wolves supporters right now is one of unease.
Although the fixture list is not as difficult to start with as last season, Wolves still have some strong tests. The very first game is against Manchester City, and Vitor Pereira really needs his squad to be in the best possible place it can be in for that game.
But hopefully, there is going to be some movement very soon – and it has now been claimed that Wolves are in contact with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Amine Adli.
A concrete offer has been made by Wolves for Adli, so we will see if Wanderers can get this one over the line – but there’s one player at Molineux this transfer may not really help.
Wolves and Vitor Pereira moving for Amine Adli could hinder Mateus Mane
Towards the end of last season, Mateus Mane started appearing in matchday squads for Wolves.
Mane signed for Wolves from Rochdale in March 2024 when he was just 16, and has had a rapid rise at Molineux.
He made the first-team bench for the first time against Fulham back in February of this year, and Pereira would then hand Mane his Wolves debut against Brighton in May.
That was a very proud moment for the youngster, with Pereira hailing Mane as ‘special’ and confirming he’d be with the first-team in 2025/26.
It has been quite clear that Mane is a young player Pereira thinks very highly of. And many fans would love to see him actually enjoy a breakout season despite his tender years.
But it will be very interesting to see what kind of effect a move by Wolves for Adli could have on Mane.
Mane – who recently signed his first professional contract at Wolves – plays as a striker and can also operate from the inside left, which is where he played when he came on for his debut against Brighton.
In theory, Adli – who can also operate through the middle – joining Wolves might prevent the talented youngster from getting more minutes.
Wolves should play it by ear with Mane
With Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias having signed for Wolves, competition is already strong for Mane.
Then there’s players like Hwang Hee-chan, Goncalo Guedes and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde who are also options for those inside forward positions, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Sasa Kalajdzic, if he stays, to play up top.
Mane is a big talent and hopefully he’ll be able to get decent minutes despite the odds potentially being against him.
But Wolves can always see about sending him out on loan in January if he hasn’t managed to feature much.
He has shone in the academy, so it would make sense to loan Mane out and subject him to senior football to further his development.