According to Tim Spiers of The Athletic, Wolves boss Nuno Santo made a huge call in the January transfer window that went against what the club’s recruitment team had put forward.

What’s he said?

The west Midlands side had a relatively quiet month in terms of incomings but ended the month with a bang by announcing the signing of Daniel Podence from Greek outfit Olympiacos, whilst there were a whole host of departures on Deadline Day, including centre-back Ryan Bennett.

And now sporting director Kevin Thelwell’s sudden departure from the club has put the spotlight on their recent activity.

It has been revealed that Nuno opted to sign Podence and Leonardo Campana over what Thelwell and his team had put forward – they suggested the RB Salzburg striker Hwang Hee-chan and RB Leipzig’s new playmaker Dani Olmo.

Spiers commented in his recent article:

“As recently as last month, when fans were baying for new signings, [Kevin] Thelwell, John Marshall and his recruitment team were believed to have put forward Hwang Hee-chan and Dani Olmo as viable transfer targets. Nuno, who has the final say, preferred to go in another direction and the two most high-profile additions of the window (Daniel Podence and Leonardo Campana) were both Mendes clients.”

Tim Spiers, The Athletic.

Only time will tell

A new striker was the top priority for Wolves during the transfer window, but they only managed to clinch an Ecuadorian frontman who will initially feature for the U23 squad, meaning for the time being, Raul Jimenez is still the only senior striker at the club.

Podence’s arrival does indeed fill another void; however, as there were very few options in the wide areas – right-winger Adama Traore, for instance, didn’t have a backup – until now.

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The two names that Nuno passed over would have been enormous coups for Wolves, especially Hee-chan who has netted nine goals and provided 14 assists this campaign, including contributions in the Champions League against Liverpool, per Transfermarkt.

But it would be unfair to write off the old gold January additions just yet as only time will tell if the 46-year-old chief made the right call.

Olmo is another player that has impressed on Europe’s elite stage and his eight goals and seven assists have landed him an opportunity in the Bundesliga.

Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top-flight transfer flops…

Wolves fans have already been comparing Podence to Eden Hazard, but they will be sure to rue missing out on the aforementioned duo if things take a turn for the worse in the coming months.

And in other news, Wolves boss Nuno Santo made a baffling selection call vs Man Utd…