This summer has been an interesting first couple of months for Bruno Lage at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Nuno Santo surprisingly left Molineux behind which meant his fellow Portuguese manager had to pick up the rubble after a disappointing campaign.
On the chalkboard
This has been a quiet transfer window for Lage who has prioritised keeping what he already has at his disposal.
Ruben Neves and Adama Traore were consistently linked with the exit door but it looks as though the duo are set to stay in the Midlands.
Neves had attracted the interest of Arsenal while Leeds were appealed by the idea of landing Traore.
Wolves were going to have to sell these players in order to build funds for further recruits but they are now taking a different approach.
The Athletic’s Tim Spiers reported last week that Romain Saiss, Patrick Cutrone and Rafa Mir would all be allowed to leave.
Saiss played a huge part during Nuno’s tenure but has made several mistakes in the last year or so that have lowered his status with supporters.
Indeed, after he gave away a reckless penalty against Celta Vigo last weekend, he angered fans further. One supporter described him as a “walking red card” while another dubbed him an “absolute liability.”
With the Moroccan already halfway through the exit door, Lage must step up the club’s attempts to move him on.
After all, he let the club down on countless occasions last season and is showing no signs of improving his discipline.
One of his most questionable performances came against Aston Villa. Although Saiss helped to keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw, he gave away possession easily, completing just 70% of his passes. He also missed a simple chance to win the game from just a matter of yards out.
Spiers claimed the miss “defied the laws of physics” while The Express & Star were even more damning in their assessment of the defender, saying; “His passing was inconsistent throughout. But it's the miss of the season that will cause the Moroccan international some sleepless nights.”
He was abject against Burnley later in the campaign too. Once again the defender was guilty of gifting possession away and on this occasion, it led to a goal for Chris Wood after he was robbed of the ball.
Taking to social media at full-time, Spiers commented: “Saiss, Coady and Boly all play at centre half for their countries but it feels like Darren Peacock and Simon Coleman are back in defence today. A catalogue of basic errors.”
Conor Coady and Willy Boly have since proved their worth to the club but the £22k-per-week Saiss is expendable.
Lage has to sanction his exit at the nearest available opportunity.