Bruno Lage is waiting for ‘the money to move’ as Wolverhampton Wanderers look to get their house in order by July 1. The transfer window opens in June but clubs are already negotiating with potential signings. Wolves have once again been linked with Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha as the club look to replace talisman Ruben Neves.Wolves also need to find replacements for experienced trio John Ruddy, Marcal and Romain Saiss, while doubts over Joao Moutinho’s future remain. There is a feeling within Wolves’ camp that Lage’s squad will have a vastly different look to it next season.
Bruno Lage said: “It’s very important for us that the players are here on the first day, then we will have four or five weeks of work to start the Premier League in the best way. We can explain everything so that new players know the ideas. We are working for that. In the same way we need to understand the policy of the club, the modern days. The first sale is going to be like a domino – the money will move.”
Four of Wolves’ five summer signings last year arrived in time to jet out for the warm weather training camp in Marbella. The only exception was Hwang Hee-chan, who joined Wolves from RB Leipzig in late August. Wolves made a profit last summer and the club only made one notable signing in January in the form of Portuguese winger Chiquinho. Lage and supporters are keen for owners Fosun to show more ambition in this summer’s market to avoid falling behind their rivals. The teams which finished beneath Wolves in the Premier League table are expected to strengthen – and that is a given for those who placed above them. Aston Villa, who finished 14th, have made a flying start to the window with the signings of Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos for a combined £43million.
Bruno Lage added: “We know what we have in our hands. The top six is the top six, West Ham has been solid in the last few years. We can see the rest of the teams want to improve. For sure, teams like Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Southampton – I don’t know what happened with Leeds but they will try to improve. Even the teams who come up will invest and improve. We need to be there. We cannot be in a position where we don’t increase our quality and, after, during the season, we don’t have any more chances to improve our squad. We need to be prepared and I have been preparing that since the beginning of February. I have tried to imagine which kind of players we need to be better and which kind of players we need to replace the players if we lose someone. Not just one, but in all of the positions, we have good players in mind. Me and my staff also work very hard with Mat Hobbs (chief scout) to find the right players at the right place.”
