Wolverhampton Wanderers struggled under their former manager Bruno Lage during the early stages of the 2022/23 campaign, winning just once in the Premier League before he was sacked at the beginning of October.

It could have been so different for the Old Gold had the club managed to pull off a transfer which would have undoubtedly improved their midfield and sent a big statement of intent to their top-flight rivals, and the Molineux club are now seeing just how big a mistake it was to let the opportunity slip.

Last summer, the club were linked with Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was then playing for River Plate. However, he eventually made the move to Benfica for €10m (£9m), which is now looking like the bargain of the century.

The 22-year-old excelled for the Portuguese club, registering six goal contributions across 17 league matches, taking 109.8 touches and making 1.8 key passes per match, while creating nine big chances. He blossomed into one of the finest young talents on the continent before the World Cup – a tournament which would thrust him into the stratosphere.

Fernandez didn’t start the first game against Saudi Arabia, with Argentina suffering an embarrassing 2-1 defeat, but he was brought in for the must-win clash against Mexico four days later and made a huge impact. He displayed the maturity of a veteran, scoring the second goal a few minutes from the end to secure a 2-0 win which proved to be the catalyst in Argentina’s revival.

Overall the midfielder was incredible in Qatar, achieving an average Sofascore rating of 7.1/10 as he made 0.9 key passes and 3.1 tackles per match and recorded a pass success rate of 88%, showcasing his all-round effectiveness and powering Argentina to their third World Cup triumph – 36 years after their second.

He was named the Young Player of the Tournament and the list of potential suitors grew overnight, although Benfica were in no mood to sell.

The 22-year-old was hailed as a “cheat code” by Kwadwo Sheldon following his wonderful performances last year, and it was Chelsea who eventually won his signature, securing the player for a Premier League record fee of £107m.

Wolves must be kicking themselves for missing out on a player of Fernandez’s quality, especially after his recent meteoric rise. His move to the Premier League will certainly bolster the Chelsea midfield, but in an alternative reality, he should have been wearing old gold instead of royal blue.