Wolverhampton Wanderers have been the masters of the transfer market in recent years, which has helped them maintain their status as a Premier League club.
From signing prospects with plenty of potential to acquiring value-for-money players, every strategy has been optimised to the max.
However, it’s not just the buying of players that’s been a success, as the Molineux side also been able to sell their talents for large fees, notably Matheus Nunes and Diogo Jota.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a former player who Wolves truly hit the jackpot on back in 2017.
What Wolves paid for Ruben Neves
In the summer of 2017, Wolves signed highly-rated Ruben Neves from FC Porto, reuniting with Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Portuguese prospect had already cemented himself as one of the best upcoming talents in Europe, having already owned the status of the youngest player to captain a side in the Champions League.
Although the fee paid for the midfielder wasn’t confirmed, it is reported to have been around £15m, making him one of the most expensive Championship transfers of all time.
During his first campaign, Neves’ quality and influence on the team were immense over his 42 matches, scoring six goals and helping Wolves win the title, ultimately seeing them return to the Premier League – the division they play in to this day.
The fee that Wolves sold Neves for
Throughout his time in the Premier League, the former Wolves number eight developed into an elite midfielder, playing 177 times in the competition and scoring 21 goals.
The 27-year-old even played a vital role in Wolves’ 2019/20 Europa League run, starting nine times and picking up two goal contributions as they made it to the quarter-finals.
Around this point, Neves’ value had skyrocketed, as according to Transfermarkt, he was estimated to be worth £43m, which is more than Matheus Cunha’s value today, for example, £36m.
Nonetheless, in the summer, Wolves parted ways with the Portugal international, as the departing hero was one of the many players to join the Saudi Pro League, becoming an Al Hilal asset in a deal worth £47m.
Matheus Nunes
£53m
Ruben Neves
£47m
Diogo Jota
£43m
Morgan Gibbs-White
£25m
Nathan Collins
£23m
As you can see, this makes Neves the second most expensive sale from the club of all time, ranking just below Nunes and higher than Jota.
Selling the “superb” ace, as dubbed by journalist Nathan Judah, for such a high fee means that the club profited heavily, even selling the midfielder for 200% more than what they bought him for six years prior.
Not only did this enable Wolves to invest in the squad, but it meant that they could almost entirely fund their move for Cunha with the Neves sale, which has proven to be a masterstroke.
The Brazilian has been absolutely unbelievable in the Premier League this season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists, and without him in the side, it’s almost guaranteed that Gary O’Neil’s side would be much worse off.
Today, Neves is currently enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia, helping his side to the league title with ten assists in 26 starts, but it’s clear that Wolves – and Nuno – absolutely struck gold by beating the competition to his signature back in 2017.
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