GEORGE LAKIN EXAMINES MATT HOBBS & WOLVES' SOUTH AMERICAN MASTERPLAN
Wolves’ director of football Matt Hobbs has had a long-term strategy targeting the South American market, and clearly, the scouting setup is second to none out there. Let’s not forget Wolves were within a whisker of signing Chelsea’s £100m man Enzo Fernandez before Benfica stole in at the last minute. Understandably, the move to Portugal was seen as somewhat less jarring than a move to the suburbs of Wolverhampton. Such a transition is challenging, and while some players are more immediate hits—like Joao Gomes, who I see as a special kind of individual with a big character and charisma all of his own—often changing not just country but continent can be a slower process. Here are three (well… four, but we’ll come to that) existing Wolves players who, just as preseason preparations begin, might just be settling at the right time for Wolves and Gary O’Neil:
Yerson Mosquera
One from the Wolves South American defenders playbook! The Colombian signed from Atlético Nacional for £4.5m in the summer of 2021 and admittedly has struggled until now to break into the first team, partly due to unfortunate injury struggles. But while out on loan last season and finally fit, Mosquera showed his class—a rangy center-half, with wiry strength who is exceptional in the air. He seems like one of those players that will forever be viewed as being ‘raw,’ similarly to Toti Gomes. But Gomes has shown how this needn’t hold a player back. I think Mosquera is ready now, and while he may have occasional clumsiness on the ball, he has the athleticism to rectify errors.
Wolves this week outright stated he is not for sale despite interest from Villarreal, where he was on loan for the second half of last season, and other Spanish clubs. Worryingly for Wolves, Mosquera has expressed a desire to return to Spain to ply his trade, but I believe these comments have been taken out of context somewhat—Wolves simply do not keep players around the camp who do not want to be there anymore. Team spirit is of paramount importance to Wolves as they continue to build a positive culture around the club.
On finances, Wolves have little outlay when it comes to Mosquera, so keeping him around if he truly doesn’t want to be here would be counterproductive. The fact that Gary O’Neil has publicly stated he wants Yerson to stay and fight for his place indicates just how much promise the player has. With an ageing Dawson unlikely to play all 38 Premier League games this year, doubts around whether Toti can play as one of just two centre-halves if Wolves move to four at the back, and Kilman departed with any replacement not yet ascertained, I think there is definitely space for Yerson to step up this campaign. I expect he will feature heavily in Wolves’ preseason tour of America in the Stateside Cup as O’Neil tries to figure out the makeup of his defensive line. If his attitude is right, and he does indeed want to stay at Wolves this year, he is one I see breaking into the first team and making one of the three, or two, center-back berths entirely his own.
Santiago Bueno
Though not signed directly through Wolves’ South American scouting system, Uruguayan Santiago Bueno is perhaps the player of the three discussed here that Wolves fans know best, having made 12 Premier League appearances last season. Bueno might have expected to play more this season, having arrived for a reported £8.5m from Girona last season. This was thought to be a part of the Matheus Nunes deal as Girona are owned by the owners of Manchester City. It was undoubtedly a cut price for a player who performed well in his last season in La Liga and before that was pivotal to Girona’s promotion in 2021-22.
At 25, he is arguably only just maturing as a centre-back. Most these days in that position hit their late 20s and remain at the top of their game into their early thirties, see the likes of Virgil van Dijk and before that the likes of Leonardo Bonucci or Chiellini. This perhaps goes some way in explaining West Ham’s decision to give Max Kilman a 7-year contract—showing their trust in him to perform at his peak until the age of 34. This is not that extreme; close to home, we can see Craig Dawson is still pretty much at the top of his game aged 34. Last season, he was often Wolves’ most reliable defender, and just how much his absence, not just the attacking absences, contributed to Wolves’ downturn in form towards the tail end of last season was perhaps overlooked.
Centre-half is a position that requires maturity, and while some, like Saliba at Arsenal, mature early, most have to pass that 25 threshold to reach the top of their game. With all this in mind, I expect big things from Santi Bueno this season. I saw enough last season to suggest he has enough about him to step up. He has a real strength about him, feels solid, puts challenges in firmly but is not reckless. Being of South American origin, he also clearly understands the dark arts of the game. Uruguay has a good pedigree when it comes to producing centre-backs, think Diego Godin or Gimenez, and he is well of their ilk. Bueno is also perfectly capable of playing the ball out from the back, something we saw in glimpses last season, but the lack of a run of games just didn’t enable him to really find his stride. I think if he is given a run of games, Wolves fans will be pleasantly surprised at what a good footballer, not just defender, he actually is.
Enso Gonzales
Arguably the least known entity of our South American contingent, Gonzales signed for a decent fee of £5m, which isn’t necessarily cheap for an 18-year-old. Let’s just ignore the £35m we spent on an 18-year-old Fabio Silva. It’s a decent fee and represents some promise—let’s not forget Enso had already made 32 appearances in the Paraguayan Premier League for Libertad. Despite his young age, he was no bit-part player and had cemented his place in the team by 17. That takes some doing, and it was much the same story at Wolves; when he signed, he was put straight in with the first team, not the youth setup. This tells you pretty much everything you need to know, and had it not been for injuries last season, I think he’s a player we would already be talking about.
Of course, he will need to break into the team, which will not be easy if everyone is fit and firing. But had he not had his own injury issues, he surely would have had a decent run of games last term. He did make one late substitute appearance against Palace in the final home game of last season, and I have to say in the very short time I saw him, I was impressed. Not that he touched the ball much, but despite Wolves being 1-3 down and the game ebbing away with nothing to play for, you could see a tenacity to him. I remember when we had a late corner, I saw him jostling away in the box eager to get involved, desperate to have an impact. I think this is what will see him right with Wolves fans, and if he stays fit, I believe he is the type of character that will force his way into the team one way or another. With his determined and relentless style of play, Wolves fans will love him.
JOAO GOMES: The Starboy, the Strategy, and What’s Next?
An honourable mention for a player who needs no introduction; our very own starboy, Joao Gomes. Who it would be remiss of me not to mention purely because he has already been so successful. The fact that he has settled so remarkably well is testament to his character. He is a player who loves the club, who wants to be here, and as I see it: him, Cunha, and Lemina are central to the current ‘feel good’ culture I previously mentioned at the club right now. Despite his young age, he is undoubtedly one of the leaders in the camp, an infectious personality, the type of individual we as fans can really get behind and grow to love. Gomes provides any young player who walks through the doors at Wolverhampton Wanderers with the blueprint. This is how it’s done, and this is what you can achieve. This is what this club and fans can do for you, and what you can give back. He is helping Wolves soften the aforementioned ‘jarring’ transition from South America to Wolverhampton that might put some players off, and I suspect seeing his success played a big part in Pedro Lima’s decision to take the plunge at the tender age of 18.
The Gomes story instills confidence. Gomes himself is the embodiment of confidence, which is partly what worries me most as a Wolves fan. I see his ambition as limitless, and it is doubtful that Wolves will be able to match it. Gomes will expect Wolves to invest enough in the squad to make a genuine push for Europe this season, which is exactly where he belongs. I believe he will, like many of our star players, be happy to stay here as long as their ambitions are matched by the club—which, as I mentioned in a previous article, adds a serious amount of weight to Hobbs’ promise that Wolves will push for Europe.
In this day and age, you simply have to in order to keep your best players—there is no alternative. You hit a plateau that arguably Wolves have been in for the last 3 to 4 seasons now. But the stagnation can only last so long, whether that’s 5 or even 10 years (like Southampton), it eventually leads to the trap door that Wolves have already flirted with in the past and had Lopetegui to thank for somehow retrieving the situation from a position of seeming despair. Wolves were stung again by their lack of ambition when Lopetegui walked, but they have been given a reprieve in Gary O’Neil and must not make the same mistake twice.
Now, with finances seemingly more stable, there is no reason for Joao to be sold this summer. But unless Wolves do become something of a European force in the coming years, the blueprint for the South American scouting strategy will remain as it currently is—a stepping stone. The procedure is completed from a Wolves point of view with a sale to a top-six side or a European giant. With this, seemingly everyone is a winner. The player gets his move, and the club gets their money and with that are a step closer to actualising the financial self-sustainability model we know FOSUN so desires. But for fans, that means having to accept that we will only witness the glisten of these diamonds we unearth for a fleeting moment before they go to the biggest stage of which currently we are not part.
Qualification for the UEFA Europa or even Conference League may help us keep hold of some potential future stars though, and that is, as it should be, exactly what Wolves as a club are targeting. For a player like Joao Gomes, though, it is the Champions League that awaits him. Already a regular in the Brazil national team, Wolves are incredibly lucky to have him. I honestly believe Joao has the potential to become truly world-class, and he’s a player I think we will see at the heart of the Real Madrid midfield for years to come—I really do, he’s that good. But for now, Wolves don’t need to sell, and he is happy at Molineux. So although his time will come, it’s not right now, and barring a ridiculous offer (I’m talking £80-100m), he will be absolutely key to Wolves’ fortunes this season as he continues to develop into the absolute superstar I have no doubt he will become. In the meantime, we as fans should cherish every moment we get to see him in the famous old gold.
ARTICLE BY GEORGE LAKIN
George fell in love with Wolves the moment Colin Cameron fizzed one into the bottom corner against Plymouth Argyle on the 31st December 2005- during his first ever Wolves game as a child.
He loves digging a little deeper when it comes to Wolves, often conducting his own research to help him read between the lines and increase his knowledge and understanding of all aspects of our great club. He is keen to share his insight and findings with fans who share in his biggest love, -after his lovely wife, Amy and little boy, Tommy of course!- our mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers!
George is passionate about reaching and uniting all corners of the Wolves family, young and old, near and far. So make sure you don’t miss his weekly column exclusively for Always Wolves this season!