Wolverhampton Wanderers had a busy summer transfer window in 2024. They lost some crucial players over the window, including Pedro Neto, who joined Chelsea for £54m, and club captain Max Kilman, who moved to West Ham United to reunite with former manager Julen Lopetegui for £40m.
The Old Gold were able to reinvest that money smartly, bringing in eight signings, both permanently and on loan. Perhaps the marquee deal was Brazilian midfielder Andre, who joined from Fluminense in a deal worth up to £21m. Amongst other moves, they also signed the likes of experienced goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace for £10m.
Signing Andre was a big coup, given he was linked with many clubs across Europe. The Old Gold will be glad to have secured his services and have potentially avoided the repeat of a deal which saw them miss out on a high-profile signing, instead signing Leander Dendoncker.
Leander Dendoncker’s Wolves record
Wolves signed versatile Belgium international Dendoncker from Belgian giants Anderlecht on a permanent deal in the summer of 2019, after initially bringing him in on a season-long loan deal. He joined the club for a reported fee of £11.6m after impressing then-manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
In total, the 29-year-old made 159 appearances for the club, including 26 in his first season in 2018/19 when he was on loan in the Midlands. He managed to score 12 goals and register four assists during his time at the Old Gold.
One of the benefits of having the Belgian in the squad was his versatility. Not only was he able to play at centre-back, as he did so on 27 occasions, but he also slotted into midfield countless times. He played 55 games in defensive midfield and 64 times in the centre of the park, too.
Sadly, things did not really work out for Dendoncker at Molineux. He moved to Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee in 2022 and has since been on loan at Napoli. Now, the 29-year-old plies his trade for former club Anderlecht once again.
Had they decided to forgo the signing of Dendoncker, the Old Gold could have ended up with someone who has turned into one of Europe’s best defenders, Ruben Dias.
When Wolves missed out on Ruben Dias
It is no secret that, under Nuno, the Old Gold built a sizeable Portuguese contingent. That included the likes of Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota, both of whom have now left the club for pastures anew.
However, they did miss out on signing Dias and showed interest in the Portugal international whilst he was still a Benfica player. At that stage, the defender had a release clause of £57m, although the Old Gold were thought to want to pay less than that value.
The report from The Express and The Star stated that he fitted the 2019 Wolves recruitment model “in being young, with potential to increase his value considerably”. Over the past few years, the likes of Neves and Jota have left for great profit, and the Old Gold likely saw a similar opportunity for profit in Dias.
In the end, the Midlands club missed out on signing the Portugal international. He joined Manchester City the following summer for a fee of £65m, slightly more than his release clause reported in 2019.
It is fair to say the defender has been successful during his time under Pep Guardiola in Manchester. So far, he has made 183 appearances for the Citizens and has won countless trophies, including a famous treble in the 2022/23 campaign. He is now valued at a whopping £67m by Transfermarkt.
Premier League
2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24
Champions League
2022/23
FA Cup
2022/23
Club World Cup
2024
League Cup
2020/21
Uefa Supercup
2023/24
Community Shield
2024/25
It is surely a deal that Wolves might regret not completing back in 2019. Had they done so, they would have had one of the best defenders in Europe in their side, who they could have sold for profit even after they paid £57m for him.
Looking back on the situation, it makes you think just how different the last few seasons could have been for the Old Gold.
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