Wolverhampton Wanderers have now been under the ownership of Fosun International for almost seven years.
The Chinese conglomerate bought the club off the previous owner Steve Morgan for a now-paltry sum of £45m, with Wolves then a side floundering in mid-table in the Championship.
Since that summer of 2016, Wolves have been promoted to the Premier League by winning English football’s second tier, achieved three top-half finishes in the top flight and reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Europa League, respectively.
Given it’s that time of year when transfer rumours begin circulating, let’s look at some of Fosun’s best signings in their seven-season stint in the West Midlands.
5. Willy Boly
It’s safe to say Wolves’ most successful period during Fosun’s tenure to date was under the stewardship of former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Portuguese manager’s first summer at the helm provided plenty of excitement in 2017, aided by a plethora of signings that, as it turned out, proved too strong for the rest of the Championship.
One of these was the loan signing of FC Porto centre-back Willy Boly, who eventually signed for the club permanently for a fee of £10m the following summer.
The 14-cap Ivory Coast international kept 21 clean sheets in his 36 Championship appearances as Wolves eased to the second division title.
And the 32-year-old became a dominating presence in Nuno’s backline as the side took the Premier League by storm before the league’s break during Covid hampered his and Wanderers’ momentum.
As it turned out, Boly never regained his top form and was eventually sold to Nottingham Forest for an initial £2.25m last summer.
However, at his peak, it can be argued that Wolves haven’t seen a better defender grace Molineux over the past seven years than the 6 foot 5 powerhouse.
4. Diogo Jota
Another player who arrived ahead of the side’s Championship-title winning season, Diogo Jota is now a household name across the Premier League.
Initially signed on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, the 30-cap Portugal international bagged 18 goals in his debut campaign in England before a permanent switch for £12.8m was confirmed in the summer of 2018.
26 goals and 13 assists followed over the next two seasons, including an iconic winning goal in a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Manchester United and back-to-back European hat-tricks at home to Besiktas and Espanyol.
However, the Porto-born star’s form was enough to attract Europe’s top sides, and the forward eventually moved to Liverpool in a deal worth £41m in September 2020.
3. Raul Jimenez
Following Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League, Fosun weren’t afraid to loosen the purse strings ahead of the club’s first season in the top flight for seven years, spending £92.6m that summer.
Another gem initially signed on loan, Raul Jimenez’s arrival at Molineux from Benfica proved to be a masterstroke signing from Nuno’s recruitment staff.
The 101-cap Mexico international bagged 17 goals and provided eight assists in 44 appearances in his first season in the West Midlands, encouraging Wolves to splash a then club-record fee of £30m at the end of the campaign.
27 strikes and ten assists in 55 outings followed in 2019/20 as Jimenez led the line during Wanderers’ consecutive seventh-placed finish and remarkable run to the Europa League quarter-finals, winning the club’s Player of the Season award.
The 32-year-old’s momentum was cruelly stopped when a life-threatening fractured skull injury in November 2020’s 2-1 victory at Arsenal ruled the striker out for the rest of the campaign.
The centre-forward remarkably made a return for the beginning of the next season has since, understandably, struggled to hit the heights of his top form on his return at Molineux under Bruno Lage and Lopetegui and could be available for transfer this summer.
However, the striker’s first two seasons at Molineux will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to witness the centre-forward at his peak.
2. Joao Moutinho
In the same summer as Jimenez’s signing, Wolves sent shockwaves across the Premier League when they secured the signature of Portugal’s Euro 2016-winning midfielder Joao Moutinho from Monaco for just £5m.
Despite being on the wrong side of 30, the Portimao-born star appeared in every one of Wolves’ Premier League fixtures in 2018/19, scoring a stunning equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Manchester United whilst providing eight assists for his teammates across 44 outings in all competitions.
His exceptional performances helped the Molineux outfit achieve a seventh-placed finish on their return to the top flight, securing qualification for the following season’s Europa League campaign and earning him the Player of the Season award.
The 36-year-old, who boasts 146 caps for Portugal, could now be set to depart Wolves at the end of his contract this summer.
But no Wanderers fan could have expected his mere presence at Molineux in the first place, in which he has consistently performed to an excellent standard despite his advancing years.
1. Ruben Neves
There have been some exceptional players to grace the Molineux turf since Fosun’s arrival in the West Midlands seven years ago, but none have quite had the impact that now club-captain Ruben Neves made.
Neves was signed from FC Porto in the summer of 2017 for a fee of £15.8m, an absurdly small price when looking back almost six years later.
Having sent shockwaves through English football by securing the signature of one of Portugal’s hottest prospects, Neves became an instant hero at Molineux with his exceptional passing range and eye for goal from distance.
His debut campaign resulted in a Championship winners medal and a trio of awards, including Player of the Season and Goal of the Season for his stunning strike against Derby County in April 2018.
A new contract followed in the summer of 2018, with Neves an integral figure across the next four seasons as Wanderers secured back-to-back top seven finishes alongside a run to the FA Cup semi-final and Europa League quarter-finals.
Having made over 251 appearances for the West Midlands side, Neves has become synonymous with the club’s recent successes and earned the honour of being named captain following Conor Coady’s loan departure to Everton last summer.
However, with just over a year remaining on his deal at Molineux, it looks like Neves’ time in Wolves colours could be up as the club scrambles to secure a fee for his services this summer.
But an unforgettable six seasons at Wolves means Neves has forever left his mark in Wolverhampton.
