If and when Jeff Shi leaves Wolves behind, he will be able to take a great deal of pride from his accomplishments in the Midlands.
Together with Nuno Santo, Fosun have taken the Old Gold to Europe and have developed some of the finest young talent in Europe along the way.
Shi has a very specific mantra; to sign and develop players for the future.
Diogo Jota is one of the biggest examples. He arrived from Atletico Madrid on a permanent basis in 2018 and after making a big impact in the Premier League, he earned a £41m move to Liverpool.
Another who could follow in his footsteps is Pedro Neto. The winger may be out for the best part of six months with a broken patella, but he has displayed very similar qualities to Jota and could join Manchester United in a £50m deal.
Hailing from Portugal, his nationality marks another trend at Wolves; signing Jorge Mendes clients.
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Another Mendes player on their books right now is Vitinha. The young midfielder was signed on loan from Porto this term and if Wolves have any sense, they’ll utilise his option to buy.
The 21-year-old has only started twice in the Premier League this season but as we saw in the U21 European Championships, he is a star in the making.
Consider Wolves also have Owen Otasowie in their ranks and the future certainly looks bright for their midfield.
However, because of those two players and the likes of Ruben Neves, it’s hard to see others getting a look in. You only need to factor in how few senior opportunities Morgan Gibbs-White has had down the years.
He is the crown jewel of their academy but has only featured on six occasions in the top-flight this season.
For players like Connor Ronan, on loan at Grasshopper in Switzerland and Christian Herc, the future doesn’t look too bright.
Herc has made an impact while enjoying a temporary stint in Slovakia with MFK Karvina this season, scoring six goals in 27 appearances from the middle of the park.
He is improving all the time and still has the dream of playing for the senior side.
“I have never played in England for the Wolves first-team, but that’s still the target,” the 6 foot 1 youngster revealed in an interview with the club’s media channels this week.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look likely. Now aged 22, Herc should have already made a breakthrough into the first team if he was good enough.
Instead, he’s never really received a look in at Molineux.
Herc has that wonderful knack of scoring goals from midfield but there are already so many players ahead of him in the pecking order.
Wolves should cut their losses in the transfer window and hand him a permanent exit. It’s harsh, but there isn’t a clear way into the first-team picture at Compton.
AND in other news, Wolves could sign big Silva upgrade in “outstanding” £71m gem with “excellent speed”…
