What forms a recipe for a transfer at Molineux? Well, first of all, you have to be a fine cheese, a player capable of maturing over time and developing as each year passes by.
Secondly, you quite often have to hail from Iberia. Add a light sprinkling of Gestifute, Jorge Mendes’ agency, into the equation and you have a classic culmination.
Of course, Wolves do explore other areas but they have no fewer than eight of their players on the books of the so-called super agent. It’s hard to forget that Nuno Santo is also a client of Mendes.
Close ties to an agent as powerful as him leads to a lot of transfer rumours and one of the freshest to emerge regards Goncalo Guedes.
Football Insider revealed earlier this month that Wolves were trying to beat West Ham to the attacking midfielder’s signature. Again, he is a player with all the ingredients Jeff Shi loves.
He is Portuguese, he is young enough to develop at 24, and he’s a client of Mendes.
With seven goal involvements to his name in 2020/21, he’d be a shrewd addition for Wolves and crucially could give them a bit of added spice in the final third. After all, it’s something they’ve lacked enormously this term.
Fabio Silva has netted just twice while Willian Jose is yet to score for the Old Gold, something Steve Bull attributes to a lack of service.
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said last week: “I can relate to where he's [Jose] coming from because I'd be as frustrated as he is, and I'd want to get the wingers and strangle them and say get that ball in the box.”
Guedes is someone who can bring a bit of extra creativity to this Wolves side, possessing the ability to play on the wing and in behind the striker.
Though, as well as aiding Wolves’ frontline, he could make up for the loss of a certain Pedro Goncalves. The Portuguese sensation played a matter of minutes for the Molineux outfit before being sold to Sporting Lisbon with very little fanfare.
However, his development has been meteoric, now being linked with high-brow moves to clubs like Liverpool after scoring 15 goals and claiming five assists this term.
Guedes might not be as prolific as that, but he certainly knows where the net is and he comes with a glowing recommendation from none other than Luis Figo; “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well,” the former Ballon d’Or winner said.
Building chances for others and finishing adeptly bears great similarity to Goncalves, a player Wolves must now be cursing their luck over.
Guedes has scored 20 times during his time at current club Valencia and due to the positions he occupies on the field, could be their inadvertent replacement.