Latest news with #Fosun
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
The departure of Matt Hobbs makes one thing clear: Wolves are going all-in on Pereira
It is entirely possible that Wolverhampton Wanderers' unexpected footballing restructure will work out well. There are clear signs that the decisions made this week might signal a loosening of the purse strings from owners Fosun, which will give the club a better chance of building a stronger squad. Advertisement But it is hard to view the departure of sporting director Matt Hobbs 'by mutual consent' — and the associated changes at the top of the club — on the eve of a crucial transfer window as anything other than a calculated gamble. There are many things to take from Hobbs' exit and the expected arrival of the former Sampdoria technical director Domenico Teti, but the overriding sense is that the move means greater authority for Vitor Pereira. The popular head coach has made a big impression on chairman Jeff Shi, so much so that he and owners Fosun have decided to expand the remit of the head coach, who will now take on more of an old-school manager's role with a greater say over which players come and go this summer. Teti might take on a similar title to the one vacated by Hobbs, but his remit is expected to be very different — a hands-on lieutenant for Pereira, working to the manager's will and putting in place his vision rather than Hobbs' lighter-touch approach, which comprised overseeing wider football operations, focusing mainly on recruitment and offering help to the head coach at training-ground level when asked for it. That puts Pereira front and centre as the most powerful head coach at Wolves since Nuno Espirito Santo. While Julen Lopetegui was a leader at the training ground, he did not stick around long enough to fully cement his authority. And it seems inconceivable that Fosun would have given the head coach such expanded powers if they did not plan to back him in the summer transfer window and give him the squad he wants. That is a good thing for Wolves. After two or three years of frugality in the transfer market to claw back the overspending at the end of the Nuno era and under Bruno Lage, there are clear signs that Fosun now accept the need for targeted investment in the squad. So, for the first time in several summers, sources with knowledge of the restructuring — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their positions — have predicted this transfer window could result in Wolves spending more than they raise on transfers. Advertisement The risk, however, is clear. Pereira's impact at Wolves last season is not in doubt, taking a team on its knees at the end of Gary O'Neil's rollercoaster reign and dragging it clear of relegation trouble with time to spare, all while building a charming bond with supporters and his players. But Wolves are now asking the Portuguese coach to fulfil a role for which he has little recent experience. In the past 12 years since leaving Porto, his hometown club, Pereira has held 10 managerial or coaching roles, with his three years in China at Shanghai SIPG the longest of his stints. He has won titles and had many more successes than failures, but he has rarely remained long enough to do the kind of building job he is now being entrusted with by Wolves. He has the charisma and knowledge that suggest he is capable of being more than a journeyman head coach, but he does not have masses of recent proof on his CV. So the decision still represents a calculated leap of faith. As for Hobbs, he can leave Wolves with his reputation enhanced on the back of two and a half years in which he has helped the club navigate choppy financial waters while maintaining their Premier League status, even if there were some scary moments along the way. Each of his transfer windows as sporting director came with a different remit — from the pressing need to give Lopetegui the tools for survival in his first, to the need to claw back a big financial deficit in his second, to supporting O'Neil to build a younger, fresher side in the next couple while continuing to turn a net profit, to another desperate rescue act this January. Each time, Wolves achieved the owners' objectives — even if Hobbs might have found himself at the centre of supporter discontent at the absence of consistency and coherence that, in truth, came from above him. And as well as pulling off the deals that made the necessary short-term impact when needed — Craig Dawson and Mario Lemina in January 2023 and Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi two years later — Hobbs left Wolves with assets such as the recently sold Matheus Cunha, Joao Gomes and Andre, who are certain to achieve huge profits, and others including Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes who might do likewise. Advertisement It is impossible to fully assess the impact of a sporting director at a club like Wolves, where ultimately key decisions are taken and policy is set above their head. But it is clear that Hobbs got much more right than he got wrong in his two and a half years in the top job, which followed seven and a half in various other roles. He achieved the profits the owners demanded while helping keep the club in the top tier and his input was respected by the club, who offered him a role in their new-look setup in an effort to keep his expertise. Ultimately, Hobbs decided a position with watered-down responsibilities was not for him and chose the clean break that he felt was better for both him and the club, leaving Shi and Pereira free to build on the foundations he laid. If Fosun backs them with the kind of investment that was rarely seen on Hobbs' watch, more exciting times might lie ahead. And if Pereira proves as good at team-building off the pitch as he has at team-building on it, the change might turn out to be inspired. But the mere presence of such significant 'ifs' highlights that it all comes with a degree of risk.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Manchester City agree cut-price fee for Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri
Manchester City are close to signing Rayan Aït-Nouri, the Wolves left-back, in a deal worth around £35 million. Aït-Nouri is expected to complete his move to City over the weekend after negotiations with Wolves accelerated on Thursday. The 23-year-old will undergo a medical on Saturday in order to be available for the Club World Cup and their first match against Morocco's Wydad AC on Wednesday. Wolves owners Fosun are under renewed scrutiny from supporters for accepting what is perceived to be a low transfer fee for the highly-rated Algeria international. Though Aït-Nouri has a year left on his current contract, with Wolves holding an option to extend for a further year, the fee is considerably lower than the £45 million valuation set by Bournemouth for Liverpool target Milos Kerkez. The Aït-Nouri deal also includes a complex agreement with Angers, his former club. In the terms of the full-back's exit in July 2021, Angers inserted a 50 per cent sell-on which can be bought out by Wolves for a fee of around £9 million. Wolves will trigger that option as a formality before the transfer to City is completed. Aït-Nouri will become the second high-profile sale of the summer for Wolves, following Matheus Cunha who will join Manchester United for £62.5 million. It leaves Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira facing a major overhaul of his squad this summer. There is already uncertainty over the future of club captain Nelson Semedo, who is out of contract and has yet to commit to a new deal. Manchester City have not signed a specialist left-back since the departure of Joao Cancelo in 2022. In recent seasons Josko Gvardiol has filled in as left-back, with academy graduate Nico O'Reilly also being deployed there by Guardiola, but he has come through the ranks as a No 10. Guardiola has been looking to add players to his squad who are ready to play in the Premier League and City have also agreed a £46.3 million deal with AC Milan for midfielder Tijjani Reijnders while closing in on Rayan Cherki at Lyon.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'It's a big gamble' - fans on potentially losing Ait-Nouri as well as Cunha
We asked how you feel about the possibility of Wolves losing both Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri in this transfer window. What impact could that have on the side? Could they can be replaced?Here are some of your comments:Dave: I find it highly frightening. This team could handle the loss of Cunha but Ait-Nouri as well, I don't know. It will be a challenge to replace their directness and It was always going to happen, as it does every year. The two rumoured names are on their way out and it is better to get it done sooner rather than later to give us time to replace. As always, there is a lack of trust that the money will be put to good use, but hopefully it will allow us to bring in the players we require for our latest rebuild - a right-back, centre-back, midfielder and some attacking options. Let's back Vitor and see where we end It is only worrying if Fosun does not allow the manager to replace them. If we don't replace them, next season could well be a disaster even with the excellent Pereira in charge. Quality players must be replaced with We have had a long time to accept Cunha leaving and I suspect Wolves fans have come to accept we are a selling club. Ait-Nouri is incredibly skilful. He has just had his best season at Wolves but he has also been quite frustrating. I would rather he stayed, though. Losing both means losing all of the creativity. I think Wolves will cash in and recall Hugo Bueno. Wolves don't buy Premier League experience so expect moderate expenditure on purchases from abroad. Then hope to sell on at a profit. Rinse, repeat. Another season of It is a big gamble after such a difficult season to sell our two best players. I assume Fosun is not going to gamble our Premier League status without a back-up plan. Brighton and Brentford for example have seen some of their best players leave but always seem to find new gems to keep the club progressing. One huge positive is the swiftness of business of these players out of the door. If we can act quickly with incomings rather than scrambling last minute for signings, this could be a very good Sure, it is worrying to lose your best players. But that is the nature of the league. Players want to play for the best teams. Wolves are seen as a stepping stone. C'est la I'm more concerned about losing Ait-Nouri than Cunha. Cunha's discipline is an issue and his suspension saw other players stepping up. I would rather have the £62m than an unreliable player (and I hope that these funds will be available over the summer). Wolves, like many others, are effectively feeder clubs for the big teams. They, in turn, need to nurture the talent that they can Cunha leaving has been inevitable for a number of months and the team showed they can cope without him with the winning run they put together. Losing Nelson Semedo and Ait-Nouri would be more concerning than the loss of Cunha, though, as they are key in our way of playing.
New York Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Wolves Transfer DealSheet: Summer window latest, key targets and likely exits
After a season that ran mostly at 100mph, Wolves' summer has started at breakneck speed, too. With one key player already sold, another on the way out and a third senior figure confirmed to be leaving, plus another club captain with a decision to make on his future, the scale of the summer project is becoming clear. The next three months will see some major changes to Vitor Pereira's squad. The Athletic takes a look at them below. As always with Wolves, there will be suggestions coming from a variety of sources. Sporting director Matt Hobbs and the recruitment team, led by Ben Wrigglesworth, will have lists of players for each position who have been researched over a period of time. Agent Jorge Mendes, with his longstanding links to owners Fosun, will inevitably have clients to offer and, with one of his clients now also the head coach, his say may be louder this summer. Advertisement That client, Pereira, will also have ideas of his own — as he did in January when he pushed hard for the signings of Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi. But ultimately, it will be chairman Jeff Shi and his paymasters Fosun who have the final say on all deals. They say they have learned from not sanctioning some transfers that were lined up last summer, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Much will depend on who leaves, but it is already clear they will be looking for players to fill the dual No 10 roles in Pereira's 3-4-2-1 system. With Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha already confirmed departures and Wolves also expected to look to end Goncalo Guedes' time at Molineux, they must increase their options in those forward positions, especially with Hwang Hee-chan's struggle for form now stretching back more than a year. They will also be in the market for at least one wing-back, with Rayan Ait-Nouri expected to leave for Manchester City. They will probably need two if soon-to-be free agent Nelson Semedo rejects the new Wolves deal that remains on the table. And Jorgen Strand Larsen is the only specialist No 9 in the squad, although Pereira sees Hwang fitting better into that role in his system rather than playing deeper or wider. Elsewhere, they are well off for numbers, but some rebalancing is needed with some players not in Pereira's plans replaced with some who might be. Pereira has spoken about the need for forwards capable of beating defenders one-on-one, so signing dribblers will be a key part of his strategy when signing his wide players and No 10s. And he wants a left-footed central defender to provide backup and competition for Toti on the left of Wolves' back three, which might necessitate the departure of one of the many right-footers currently in the squad. When Yerson Mosquera returns from injury (probably in pre-season or early in the new campaign) to join Emmanuel Agbadou, Matt Doherty, Santiago Bueno and Nasser Djiga, there will be one player too many. Andre also has no specialist understudy in the deep-lying midfield role, so that is also a vacancy Pereira will be keen to fill. Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto almost signed for Wolves in January 2024, and Wolves remain admirers. But there is a long way to go before any deal is revived for the Brazilian. Five years after he arrived at Wolves as a record signing for more than £30million, Wolves hope this is the summer they finally make some money back on Fabio Silva. With the striker entering the final year of his Molineux contract on the back of a solid season in La Liga, Wolves are optimistic about finding a buyer. Advertisement They would also like to offload Guedes, while they would listen to offers for Hwang, Tommy Doyle and Boubacar Traore. Deals for them would need to be right. Cunha has already gone for £62.5million, while Ait-Nouri's prospective departure will bring in more cash. Doyle and Traore could leave on loan if there are no suitable permanent bids, while youngsters such as Nathan Fraser and Alfie Pond are primed to head out for first-team experience. Another youngster, Nigel Lonwijk, is set to go on loan again, having already impressed at League One level, while Hugo Bueno may yet seek another loan if he is not convinced of his first-team prospects at Wolves. Winger Enso Gonzalez will also be available but, after he missed all of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he would have to prove his fitness before leaving in January. No deals are lined up for new players, but Strand Larsen's loan becoming a permanent move is a formality after he made the requisite number of appearances to trigger an obligation to buy. Wolves have also decided not to take up their option to sign winger Carlos Forbs from Ajax and he has not played enough games for the option to become an obligation. With Sarabia and Cunha leaving early and Ait-Nouri likely to follow, there is also relative clarity on what is needed and what money is coming in. Fosun have indicated a willingness to relax their self-sustaining model in the transfer market slightly, but there will not be vast funds available from the owners so the majority of spending will need to be financed by sales. PSR is not expected to be an issue, with spending constraints more likely to come from general spending policies. (Top photos: Getty Images)
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'The good run of six wins saved us' - can Wolves progress under Pereira?
We asked for your views on Dazzling Dave's scorecard for the 2024-25 are some of your comments:Rob: Dazzling Dave has given a good synopsis of Wolves 2024-25 season. Fosun persisted with Gary O'Neil for a few games longer than was sensible given the poor run of performances, let alone results. Big change coming for next season with probably four first-team regulars departing, plus hopefully some decent money for Fabio Silva. An important close season and hopefully a mid-table finish next term if transfer funds are carefully spent to secure some good quality Appointing Vitor Pereira was a great choice. Unknown manager when we appointed him but he has done a great job. If we back him we can go Wolves can push on if the owners put their money where their mouth is and allow Vitor to strengthen the squad. Selling our best players has become the norm and sufficient funds for new signings has been Even though players like Larsen, Andre, Cunha and Gomes have been brilliant, Pereira has been our saviour. He turned the team around and we would have been relegated without Pereira has done well - we were going down under O'Neil. The good run of six wins saved us, but they were all against poor teams. In Pereira's time we didn't get near Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, and went for damage limitation against Arsenal and Manchester City, so how are we going to be better than bottom six next year? The fans say back Periera but will Fosun do so?
