Wolverhampton Wanderers have been fairly active over the last two transfer windows in an effort to retain their position in the top half of the Premier League table with the side earning a 10th-place finish in the 2021/22 season.

Despite their efforts to improve the team, the Midlands club have struggled over the first half of the current campaign and ultimately parted ways with Bruno Lage in late 2021, replacing the manager quickly with Julen Lopetegui in November.

Lopetegui has significantly improved the squad's fate since taking the reins when the club found themselves in the relegation zone and thanks to his impact they are now 15th in the league table, although there is still a long way to go to make a convincing difference with a comfortable finish at the end of the season.

Indeed, the likes of Matheus Nunes and Nathan Collins have made a positive impact on the team since joining in the summer, however, there was one player who the club missed out on that has become one of the stand-out performers in the Premier League this season.

Former Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha was heavily linked with a move to Molineux last summer and it was reported that the club rejected the chance to secure his services allowing newly-promoted Fulham to swoop in and sign the player for just £20m.

There is no doubt that the missed opportunity will be something that the Wolves hierarchy will now regret as the Portuguese talent has taken like a fish to water in the top flight, proving to be a crucial component in his current club's rise to eighth in the league table.

Over 21 Premier League appearances, Palhinha - who was dubbed "incredible" by Sky Sports broadcaster Nubaid Haroon - has scored three goals and tallied up an 82% pass completion rate so far, as well as averaging 1.3 shots in total, 51.5 touches, 1.3 interceptions, 4.7 tackles, 1.9 clearances and an impressive 8.2 duels won per game.

It suggests he is an all-rounder in the middle of the park, a player who uses his long strides to bound about the pitch in such a fashion that Haroon also comedically implied that he had "18 legs."

The 27-year-old midfielder is currently the highest-ranking player in the entire Premier League for tackles won (98) by some distance with Leeds United ace Tyler Adams behind him in second with 76 won, as well as winning the most duels (171) - 32 more than any other Premier League player this season so far.

As such, it will be frustrating for Lopetegui as Palhinha could have been the dream heir to succeed Ruben Neves, a move that would have considerably taken the pressure off the club as the Wolves star has been heavily linked to moves away from Molineux ahead of his contract expiration in 2024.

With that being said, there is no doubt that the powerbrokers at Molineux will rue their decision to not sign Palhinha when they had the chance last summer. Instead, they will now have to hope they can convince Neves to commit his future to the club in order to avoid weakening their midfield in the next transfer window.