Sold under Lopetegui: Wolves hero has seen value drop by £35m since leaving

Over the past few seasons, Wolverhampton Wanderers have developed a link with Portugal. They have had several Portuguese players at the club for the past few years, and whilst that is not so much the case any more, there was a point where much of their squad hailed from there.

Perhaps the best example of this was in the 2022/23 season. The Old Gold had upwards of ten players from Portugal in their first-team squad. That included the likes of veteran midfielder Joao Moutinho, wingers Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence, and goalkeeper Jose Sa.

However, arguably the best of the bunch was Ruben Neves, who was fantastic during his time at Molineux.

Wolves’ Molineux hero

Porto academy graduate Neves enjoyed a stellar time in the Midlands, in a career that spanned six seasons. He signed from the Portuguese giants in 2017, with his £15.8m move to Molineux a record signing for a Championship at the time.

In total, he played 253 games for the Old Gold, scoring 30 times and registering 13 assists in that time. He played a crucial part in their promotion in 2017/18, before helping Wolves to qualify for Europe under Nuno Espirito Santo.

The 54-cap international certainly scored an impressive number of goals from defensive midfield. However, he became famous for his long-range strikes and was not shy of shooting from distance, both from open play and set-pieces.

During his time at Molineux, there were few players who were better to watch with the ball at their feet than Neves. His ability to dictate play from deep in midfield, and ping long passes all over the park were second to none, leading football talent scout Jacek Kulig to describe him as an “orchestrator”.

He was made captain of the side for his final season, with then-manager Julen Lopetegui giving him the armband as the Old Gold secured survival despite an appalling start to the campaign.

Sadly for the Midlands club, both Neves and Lopetegui left in the summer of 2023. Neves made the move to Saudi Arabia, following in the footsteps of many high-profile players. He left for Al-Hilal, joining for a fee of £47m and became Wolves’ all-time record sale at the time.

Despite his expensive move, it has not been all plain sailing for the former Wolves skipper, and he has seen has value drop considerably from the £47m they sold him for 18 months ago.

Neves’ value in 2024

The 27-year-old has performed well in the Middle East and has been a vital player for Al-Hilal since making the move in 2023. So far, he has featured 59 times for the club, scoring seven goals and registering 13 assists.

The former Wolves midfielder has certainly had a successful time of things when it comes to winning silverware. He has lifted five trophies in an Al-Hilal shirt so far, including the domestic title in Saudi Arabia.

Despite what seems to be a successful move for the most part, Neves’ value has dropped significantly since his transfer. Now, according to Football Transfers, the midfielder is worth just £11.5m.

That is an outrageous drop off of £35.5m and a decrease of 75.5%. Even though the midfielder is not having a bad time of things in the Middle East, the move away from a high-profile European League seems to have affected his value considerably.

Overall, even though they lost one of their best players, it seems Wolves’ decision to sell Neves was a masterstroke. They managed to rake in their then-record transfer income, which they can reinvest for future investment.

 

 

For More Stories Like This, Check Our Home Page