Wolves had an afternoon to forget at Molineux on match day 13 of the Premier League season.
After putting together a four-game unbeaten run, Wolves’ luck was tested against Bournemouth, who scored four at Molineux.
Gary O’Neil was unimpressed with the individual error his side showed against the Cherries, who scored three times from the spot and once from open play.
The two goals Wolves scored weren’t enough to undo the mistakes as Jorgen Strand Larsen was let down by his teammates after netting a brace.
Man City and Liverpool scouts watched Rayan Ait-Nouri
While the game was eventful on the pitch, there was some noise coming from the stands, and not only when Jose Sa confronted Wolves supporters at half-time.
After the defeat, it was reported that Premier League scouts were present at the game in the West Midlands, which makes for possibly bad news for Wolves.
TBR Football claims that Liverpool and Manchester City were ‘both represented’ at Molineux on Saturday to watch Rayan Ait-Nouri in action.
The two title challengers weren’t only watching the Algerian, but also Milos Kerkez, who scored for Bournemouth to earn the headlines.
While Ait-Nouri has generated Premier League interest of late, the left-back wasn’t the single point of focus from a Wolves point of view.
TBR also stated that the clubs would have ‘taken the opportunity’ to watch Matheus Cunha amid the Brazilian’s stellar run of form.
Transfer interest in Ait-Nouri is rising
Before the season started, Wolves were aware of admiration for their left-back, as Man City wanted to sign Ait-Nouri during the summer transfer window.
Instead, the Algeria international remained at Molineux which was crucial to O’Neil’s hopes of a successful second season.
| Per 90 average | Rank in PL | |
| Non-penalty goals | 0.25 | Top 3% |
| Successful take-ons | 1.72 | Top 3% |
| Take-ons attempted | 3.59 | Top 1% |
| Goal-creating actions | 0.33 | Top 10% |
Ait-Nouri was described as ‘unplayable’ during the 2023/24 campaign, making interest in the vibrant defender understandable.
While Man City and Liverpool are said to have watched the left-back, Manchester United want to offer Ait-Nouri a pay rise to lure him to Old Trafford in the near future.
As a result of all the reported interest in the 23-year-old, his future at Molineux is naturally in doubt, with clubs showing a desire to recruit O’Neil’s star man.