Wolverhampton Wanderers are building for the future under Bruno Lage – and their summer transfer strategy is geared towards that. The club has entered a new cycle after appointing ex-Benfica coach Lage to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, and pre-season kicks off at Compton Park next week. A more attack-minded brand of football will be implemented by Lage, tasked with improving on a season of poor results under his predecessor. Wolves are looking to improve their starting XI first and foremost, but Shi is also adamant that every signing will be made with the future in mind.
Jeff Shi said: “For a player, and what he is now, it’s not equal to what he could be in the future. If he scores 20 goals in a season, he can definitely score 20 goals again in the next season. It’s always about the future. When we buy a player, we always think about the future. There are a lot of failed cases, even in the Premier League spending 30, 40 million for a player who had scored 20 goals in other countries, but it never worked here. When you buy a famous player, or a name you know, it doesn’t mean success. I don’t think so. It’s more about – no matter where or how old he is – the potential, that’s what we tell the scouts. Value the player and see the potential. We don’t buy only for the history or record. Young players, older players, it doesn’t matter so much. It’s about a balance and whether the players coming here can be good for the future.”
