Wolves face a tough summer on the transfer front with limited spending and the fear of their best players departing.

Molineux has been a feast of spending since their promotion to the Premier League but new manager Bruno Lage might have to put his foot on the brake pedal for now.

What’s the word?

Wolves could lose a number of their biggest players in the next few months with the Old Gold needing to raise money in order to fund transfers.

Ruben Neves has been linked with a £40m move to Arsenal while Adama Traore continues to field interest from Leeds United.

However, they could also lose club captain Conor Coady. According to Football Insider, Tottenham and Everton are set to battle it out for the defender’s signature.

Former Wolves boss Nuno Santo has just been handed the reins at Spurs and is already on the hunt to rob his old club.

The new Dias

Coady might be older than the Manchester City star but he could be Lage’s new Ruben Dias if he sticks around in the Midlands.

Dias broke through at Benfica under the stewardship of the new Wolves boss, featuring on 70 occasions under the Portuguese coach.

Lage progressed his game significantly, making him the captain of his ex-employers before he earned a mega-money move to English football.

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Pep Guardiola ultimately signed him for £65m in a deal worth every penny. City won the Premier League and reached the final of the Champions League as the defender was named FWA Player of the Season.

Of course, Coady isn’t of the quality of Dias, but in terms of the England international’s leadership skills, he could have a similar impact under Lage.

The Liverpudlian has already captained England in two of his five England caps, an achievement that Wolves reporter Tim Spiers described as “phenomenal.”

A leader of men, the centre-back can often be seen barking orders and leading by example. When Ki-Jana Hoever starred at Old Trafford last season, it was Coady who consistently gave him advice, telling him the positions to occupy in order to nullify the Manchester United attack.

Wolves midfielder, Neves, also thinks he could replicate the dominant City defender. In a recent interview, he said:

“I’ve never played with a player like him [Coady]. Well, actually, when I played in the Portugal squad when I was young, we had a player like him that was always talking and helping the team.

“That was Ruben Dias, who is in Manchester City now. So, he’s the second centre-half I’ve played with who talks and helps the team that much. Conor always gives us the best instructions to do our best on the pitch.”

With his leadership skills in mind, Lage simply has to keep the £62k-per-week earner at Molineux.

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