Wolves’ “Henry-esque” star has seen his value rise by £20m with the signing of another star better than Jota
Over the past few seasons, Wolverhampton Wanderers have sold some crucial players for big fees. The Old Gold have had some big-name stars since their promotion ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, although many of those have left for pastures anew, with the Midlands side cashing in on a healthy amount of profit.
Three of these major sales for the Molineux club were players who all hail from the same nation, Portugal. The first of that trio to depart was club captain Ruben Neves. He left the club last summer for what was a club record sale of £47m, joining Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal.
The record sale for the Old Gold was smashed just weeks later, following the departure of another midfielder. Manchester City signed the six-foot-tall Portugal international Matheus Nunes. He made the move from the Midlands to Manchester for a fee in the region of £53m, a last-gasp deal on deadline day.
Just over a year later, another key player departed in the 2024 window. Chelsea signed Pero Neto in a deal worth an initial £51.4m, with a further £2.6m in add-ons taking a potential deal up to £54m.
However, these three players are not the only Portugal internationals to depart Molineux in the past few seasons. The club also sold another prominent star a few seasons prior.
The player in question here is Liverpool forward Diogo Jota. The 27-year-old made the move to Merseyside from Molineux in September 2021, for a fee of £41m up front, which had the chance to rise to £45m with potential add-ons.
It was certainly a big sale for the Old Gold. They originally signed Jota on loan from Atletico Madrid, when they were in the Championship. He was a crucial part of their promotion charge in 2018 and took to the Premier League like a duck to water, where his performances earned him a big move to the English giants.
During his time in the Midlands, the Portugal star played 131 times, scoring an impressive 44 goals and registering 19 assists. That included a stellar Championship campaign in 2017/18, where he scored 17 goals and registered six assists in 44 appearances.
It is fair to say that the Liverpool number 20 has thrived at Anfield since making the move. He is two appearances shy of 150 and could reach such a milestone in their Champions League clash against AC Milan at the San Siro.
In his 148 appearances wearing that famous red shirt, the 27-year-old has scored 57 times and grabbed 20 assists. He has shown brilliant versatility and adaptability, playing right across the front line, on either wing and at centre-forward.
