Rui Patricio: The bargain of the season?

Having gained promotion to the Premier League in style last season, Wolverhampton Wanderers were rightly determined to make their mark in the top-flight and naturally did some excellent business over the summer months - making shrewd acquisitions along the way.

Without a doubt though, the best piece of transfer business they made was signing Portugal international Rui Patricio. To complete a deal for the experienced shot-stopper, one of his pedigree at 30-years-old, he still has plenty of years left to perform at the highest level and could prove to be one of the league's bargains of the campaign.

In a summer where the record transfer fee for goalkeepers was broken twice by an English side - Liverpool for Alisson, Chelsea for Kepa, Patricio represents an excellent piece of business from Wolves' perspective. In him, they have an ambitious player who was prepared to terminate his contract with Sporting and make a move to England, where he'd have to acclimatise to a different league, language and culture too.

Important saves and excellent displays justify the hype

So far, so good. Patricio has adapted quickly to the physical nature of England's top-flight and has now kept four clean sheets in his last five appearances - justifying the high expectations upon arrival.

Already he has produced some excellent saves this term, including against Manchester City at home, where Pep Guardiola's men were continually pressing for more than their opening (and only) goal.

Patricio had to be alert to keep City at bay, ensuring the defending champions dropped points at Molineux

He was also impressive against Crystal Palace and his reliability has had a positive impact on Wolves' tight-knit backline - Matt Doherty, Willy Boly and Jonny in particular have benefited. So naturally, Nuno will be hoping they can do better than just survive this campaign.

Concluding thoughts

For a goalkeeper, 30 is not an age that is past their peak. Patricio is another prime example of that. Multiple reports have since emerged following his move that Wolves will be forced to pay some compensation Sporting's way, but even still, he has already proven his worth and is impressive.