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With the transfer window on the horizon, whether to sell or retain their prized assets is Wolverhampton Wanderers' biggest conundrum. Given the fact that the club’s owners are an international investment company, who bought the club as a means to generate profits, Wolves' confusion is even more apparent.
On one hand, they can sell their players to make immediate gains. On the other hand, Wolves can keep their players and strive towards a long-term goal- to become a bigger, more valuable, and more successful club.
Though the success of the club can be attributed to every squad member, the contributions of two players in particular have been extraordinary. Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore have been outstanding performers for Wolves over the past two seasons, and interest from bigger clubs is obvious.
In this article, we take a look at this situation, and assess what Wolves could do.
Wolves: Where they are now
Wolverhampton Wanderers are flying high in their second successive season in the English top flight. Having been promoted back to the Premier League in 2018-19 season after a long wait of six years, the team dazzled the world upon their return. A seventh-place finish earned them the right to participate in their first European competition since the 1980-81 season.
Wolves will resume their current coronavirus-interrupted campaign at sixth position in the English Premier League, on 17 June 2020 (provisionally).
Additionally, after having drawn 1-1 in the first leg, the club is also set to face Olympiakos in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 stage at the Molineux Stadium, once the UEFA competitions recommence.
The owners-cum-investors
Wolves were acquired by a Chinese multi-billion-dollar investment company, Fosun International, for £45 million on 21 July 2016. The main intention of the company was to utilise the club as an investment, while also making the company’s investment portfolio more attractive to potential international investors and partners.
Almost four years since the company’s astute acquisition, Fosun International has been exceedingly successful in achieving their objectives on both fronts.
Immediately after Wolves’ promotion, the parent company pumped in a further £111 million to bolster their squad. Counting on a successful first season back in the Premier League, the club was valued at £163 million in May 2019.
According to most recent valuation by the University of Liverpool’s Sports Business Group, the club’s current net worth is almost £458 million. This means the owners are approximately £300 million better off on their shrewd investment already.
Since acquiring one of the oldest football clubs in England, the parent company has also been enjoying a highly profitable spell. In the span of three years from 2016 to 2019, Fosun International's net revenue almost doubled from RMB 73.966 billion (£8.14 billion) to RMB 142.98 billion (£15.73 billion).
Additionally, during the same period, profit attributable to the owners increased from RMB 10.268 billion (£1.13 billion) to RMB 14.8 billion (£1.63 billion).
The players-cum-investments
Adama Traore joined Wolves from Middlesborough for a transfer fee of £18 million on 8 August 2018. Since then, the speedy winger has scored 7 goals and provided 10 assists in his 81 appearances for the club till date.
Despite his ordinary stats, the ex-Barcelona player has grabbed the attention of all major football clubs across Europe, due to his ability to shine against top oppositions.
The most notable example was his 3 goals and an assist in two matches against the Premier League defending champions Manchester City this season. Traore’s world-class performances against Pep Guardiola’s team all but killed City’s chances of a successful title defense.
Raul Jimenez has been an astounding performer for Wolves since the beginning of his association with the club in 2018. Having joined the club from Benfica on a one-year loan initially, the Mexican was bought by Wolves before the start of the current season for a club-record transfer fee of £34.2 million.
Since he joined, Jimenez has been validating the club's investment by paying huge dividends through his high-octane performances consistently. Jimenez's 39 goals and 16 assists in 88 games for the club prove his excellence in providing unmatched value for money.
The most attractive features of the forward are his selfless playing style, superb work rate, and resistance to injuries. The ex-Atletico forward has been a constant in Wolves' starting lineup, despite an extremely exhausting and prolonged season consisting of numerous domestic and European outings.
The conundrum
With the summer transfer window just around the corner, the club owned by an investment company has a tough decision to make. The management staff and board have to decide whether to treat players as investments or as vital components for the long-term success of the club.
Recently, there have been various news reports from reliable sources regarding the potential future destinations of Traore and Jimenez.
Traore has been heavily linked with a possible £60 million move to Liverpool. Manchester City, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich are also interested in signing Wolves’ star man.
Additionally, it is believed that Wolves are also receiving offers from Juventus and Manchester United for Raul Jimenez. As per transfermarkt, the market values of Traore and Jimenez were £28.8 million and £45 million respectively before the global economic slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic happened.
Despite Wolves' intentions to hold on to their star men, it is believed that the club is receiving enticing transfer offers that will prove to be difficult to resist.
If the club chooses to sell both the players, it can prove to be a significant blow to the squad. It is quite possible that Wolves can suffer a plunge in performance in the upcoming season.
Also, Wolves currently do not have suitable standbys to fill in the boots of the two prominent players. To replace Traore and Jimenez, Nuno can rely on Pedro Neto and the newly-signed Daniel Podence to join Diogo Jota in a front three. However, both Neto and Podence are yet to prove their efficiency and consistency in the Premier League.
Given the fact that the clubs will have limited transfer budgets in the upcoming transfer window, Wolves are unlikely to get the best possible deals for the players.
A sensible way to move forward can be to prioritise the club’s objective of reaching the UEFA Champions League next season. They can achieve this by either finishing among the top four teams in the Premier League, or by winning the UEFA Europa League.
Also, Wolves should avoid selling any player in the forthcoming transfer window. If the club manages to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season, Wolves will be able to profit from the lucrative participation prize money. They will also be able to considerably appreciate the asking prices of its players.
Additionally, by deferring transfers, Wolves can also buy themselves some time to scout, recruit, and test potential replacements for the duo in the meantime.
Jimenez, having been already passed the best phase of his career, can be sold in the summer transfer window of 2021. Meanwhile, Traore can be held for another season so that the club can further profit from the selling of a player at his absolute prime.
All in all, whatever the owners of Wolves choose to do, the Chinese investment company has already identified how the business of a football club must be run. Unlike any other investments, football clubs are heavily dependent on assets-cum-players. Selling players for short-term gains can lead to a bigger loss for the club in the long run.
Hence, a well-defined player transfer policy needs to be framed-one which is different from any other conventional investment strategies.
