Bruno Lage insists he doesn’t want a major overhaul at Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer. Speculation is mounting over the futures of numerous Wolves stars, including influential midfielder Ruben Neves, and four of Lage’s players are out of contract in June. Wolves are expecting to shuffle their pack in the transfer market, but Lage has warned against wholesale changes.
Bruno Lage said: “We cannot drop these guys, or we can only drop them if they think they have already given everything to the club. I see Joao (Moutinho) motivated at 35-years-old, so it’s not about age or how many years they have been with the club, if they can still give us the things we want then we need to protect these guys. They know the club, they know the culture, they have worked together a lot, four years with Nuno and one with me.”
Moutinho is joined on the out-of-contract list by John Ruddy, Marcal and Romain Saiss. Lage would like to keep Saiss at Molineux, but the Moroccan has offers from France and Spain. Marcal has been linked with a return to Brazil with Botafogo, while Ruddy could leave in search of regular football. Anyone who leaves will need to be replaced, with Lage keen for more competition for places in his squad next season.
Bruno Lage added: “The other thing that is important is the competition in the squad. Don’t drop these guys and understand if they can give us the same things next season, and bring competition for them. I think it’s good for everyone to have competition.”
