Wolverhampton Wanderers may have missed out on a potential gem - if only they listened to former sporting director Kevin Thelwell before he departed Molineux...

What was the word?

Ahead of the January transfer window last season, the Midlands outfit were linked with a move for South Korean sensation Hwang Hee-chan by the reliable John Percy.

According to the Telegraph reporter, Wolves were planning a bid, thought to be in the region of £20m, for the forward with the view to loaning him back to RB Salzburg for the remainder of the season.

Thelwell personally scouted the 24-year-old on multiple occasions before the club pulled the plug on their pursuit.

One that got away?

hwang-hee-chan-in-action-rb-salzburg

Hee-chan has since joined exciting Bundesliga side RB Leipzig as the successor to Timo Werner, signing for just €10m (£9m). It appears Wolves missed out on an absolute steal.

For sister club Salzburg last season, the 32-time international contributed to a whopping 38 goals (16 goals, 22 assists) in 40 appearances, including in big Champions League ties against Napoli and Liverpool.

He's been likened to Liverpool star Roberto Firmino in terms of playing style: "[Hee-chan] likes to get on the ball and has a trick or two up his sleeve to shake off a defender. [He's] comfortable with both feet, with the strength to hold off an opponent and the pace to exploit space," wrote Bundesliga.com.

His former coach Peter Zeidler has also waxed lyrical about his talents, claiming: "He's exceptional, has a brutal dynamism. I've rarely seen anything like it."

Even Erling Haaland dubbed him "absolutely crazy," which is high praise indeed considering the Dortmund talisman is the crazy talent right now.

With an ability to play on the left as well as through the middle or even as a number ten, it appears that Wolves missed out on the most perfect Diogo Jota successor.

The 24-year-old has already made his presence felt in Germany too, scoring and assisting a goal apiece in Leipzig's DFL Cup win over Nurnberg last month in what was his first start for the club.

Wolves are one of the fast-growing clubs globally thanks to their Chinese ownership group, Fosun, so adding a South Korean star would've aided that goal substantially.

You only have to look at Heung-min Son's off-the-field impact to see the rewards that could've come their way.

AND in other news, £25.2m-rated Wolves star was a HUGE passenger vs Newcastle...